Godavari aqua farmers declare crop holiday over rising feed cost

Vijayawada: In an unusual move, aqua farmers in Godavari districts have declared a crop holiday due to an increase in feed prices. They said price fluctuations due to US tariffs and the Iran war situation have made aqua farming unviable, driven by a steep rise in feed prices and a fall in the cost of produce.Another major issue that the farmers have been facing is defective, disease-prone seed. Ali Hussain, director of the Academy for Sustained Living, said several farmers have lost their crop multiple times in the last 12 months due to the disease, which originates from the seed. He said there is no govt control over seed production.Hussain said over 60% farmers incurred losses due to diseases last season. “Many farmers lost their crop four to nine times consecutively.

Those who have incurred heavy losses now prefer to stay away from cultivation and have declared a crop holiday,” he added.GV Raju, a farmer from Kalidindi in Krishna district, said they are declaring a crop holiday to save themselves from further losses. He said the feed prices went up by ₹12/kg and, at the same time, the cost of prawns came down by ₹200. “Farmers will incur heavy losses even if they get reasonable yields with the prevailing prices of feed and produce.

They will lose everything in case of a disease outbreak, as in last season,” he said.Another issue that the farmers and even traders are facing this year is the tightening of traceability norms brought in by European Union (EU) nations. Exports are getting rejected if the percentage is more than a fraction of the allowed limits.K Srinivas Varma, an aqua exporter from Bhimavaram, said EU countries are now asking for the origin of the seed, feed, and the farmer. “However, there is no mechanism for giving such certification, without which EU countries will not accept our produce,” he said.