Prawn farmers demand reduction in feed price

Ongole: The prawn farmers in Prakasam district staged a protest at the Collectorate here on Monday, demanding the government to reduce the feed price and give priority in supplying the seeds produced in the district.

Prakasam district Rythu Sangham general secretary Duggineni Gopinath, prawn farmer leaders Battula Ramesh Reddy, Alluri Satyanarayana Raju, Singamneni Anjibabu, and others explained in a representation to the District Collector that prawns are being cultivated in about 27,000 acres in 10 coastal mandals in the district. They said that the farmers are suffering losses as they are deprived of quality seed and also increase in the price of feed by Rs 12 per kg in just one year. They complained that the companies are forming a syndicate just before the harvest to reduce the price and increase the cost of feed when they released the seed into the tanks.

The farmers explained that the seed being supplied from the hatcheries to the local farmers is of inferior quality, which is easily susceptible to the white spot virus, vibrio bacteria and others and they are suffering losses. They also explained that the Monodon Black tiger variety of seed is a little hopeful to them but are permitted in only two hatcheries in the district, which are selling it at very high prices at other places, causing a shortage to the locals.

The prawn farmers requested the Collector to interfere in the matter and see the prices of the feed are regulated, see all hatcheries in the district produce quality seed, order the hatcheries to give priority to local farmers in supplying the quality seed.