Andhra CM writes to Centre over shrimp feed price hike, seeks relief for aquaculture farmers

AMaravati, Andhra Pradesh Chief government government minister N Chandrababu Naidu has written to unification Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan seeking measures good to aquaculture farmers amid concerns o'er rising shrimp feed prices.During a review meeting chaired by Special Chief Secretary B Rajasekhar at the Secretariat here, the state government decided to appeal to the union minister keeping farmers' interests in view, particularly on issues such as incentives for fish meal exports and restrictions on soy imports."CM Naidu wrote to Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan seeking steps favourable to aquaculture farmers in view of the rising shrimp feed prices," an official release late on Saturday said.According to officials, the meeting discussed the impact of feed price hikes on the aquaculture sector and the problems being faced by shrimp farmers across the state.Fisheries Commissioner Ramashankar Naik explained the present aquaculture situation in the state, including shrimp production, feed consumption patterns, existing feed prices and the increase proposed by manufacturing companies.Scientists from the Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture said that prices of major raw materials such as soy, fish meal and fish oil had increased sharply between January and May 2026, the release said.They noted that the manufacturing cost of feed had risen by an average of ₹31.03 per kilogram due to the rise in raw material prices and suggested the use of alternative inputs.Representatives of feed manufacturing companies informed the meeting that prices of key raw materials increased by more than 20 per cent between January and April 2026.According to officials, fish meal prices rose from ₹1.5 lakh per tonne to ₹2.4 lakh, fish oil from ₹2.8 lakh to ₹4.4 lakh and soy lecithin from ₹68,000 to ₹1.1 lakh.The companies claimed that an additional burden of around ₹25,000 was being incurred in manufacturing each tonne of feed and sought an increase of ₹25 to ₹31 per kilogram, the release said.However, farmer representatives strongly objected to the proposed increase, alleging that companies fail to pass benefits to aquaculture farmers whenever raw material prices decline.They further alleged that feed manufacturers, processors and exporters were functioning as a single business group and imposing an additional burden on aqua farmers.Farmer representatives requested the government to continue existing feed prices for at least two months until completion of the summer crop and also sought subsidised electricity at ₹1.50 per unit for Andhra Pradesh State Aquaculture Development Authority -licensed aquaculture farms, the release said.The meeting also decided to introduce a mechanism for fixing shrimp feed prices every month based on raw material costs, similar to the poultry feed pricing policy.Officials further opined that a system should be implemented to fix shrimp procurement prices every 15 days to help farmers undertake harvesting at the right time without falling victim to misinformation.This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.