US tariffs trigger early shrimp harvest, farmers hit

The tariff hike announced by the US (from 16.5 per cent to nearly 60 per cent) has left shrimp farmers in the region worried. The harvesting season has just begun and will continue till the end of November, but prices have already dropped by 20-25 per cent. This has resulted in losses of nearly Rs 1.5 lakh per acre, farmers claim.

Some shrimp farmers and Fisheries Department officials said the initial prices this season were good. “We were getting Rs 340 per kg for shrimps, but for the past few days, the prices have fallen to Rs 280 per kg. Foreseeing the situation worsening, some of us have even started harvesting early. Those who had planned to harvest fresh shrimps in September or October are already harvesting now. This is an additional loss, as the shrimps will not gain more weight due to early harvesting. On average, we get a yield of 2.5-3 tonne per acre per year,” said Manjinder Singh, a shrimp farmer from Ennakhera village.

Another farmer Randhir Singh from Thehri village said shrimps were usually transported to coastal areas, especially Andhra Pradesh, from where these were exported mainly to the US.

Sheenam Jindal, Assistant Director, Fisheries, said, “The harvesting season has just started, but the US tariff hike has left farmers worried. We are in contact with farmers.”