Shrimp acreage shrinking amid high power bills: Aquaculturists

Punjab should emulate the Andhra Pradesh model where shrimp farmers are charged ₹1.5 per unit for electricity, says Sarup Singh Sandhu, president of the Punjab Shrimp Growers’ Association

Ahead of shrimp seedling season that starts from April, aquaculturists from the southwest region of Punjab seek a policy change to boost the sector by lowering electricity charges. They say that amid high power usage charges with no subsidy, aquaculturists are drifting away from the shrimp farming, which could have made them earn from uncultivable land.

Farmers show shrimp in a village in Malout, Punjab, on Sunday. (HT photo)

Farmers say they were encouraged when the then Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) government in 2016-17 introduced shrimp farming in the zero-earning saline areas of southwest districts. A progressive farmer, Rupinder Singh Dhillon, from Jandwala Chrat Singh village in Muktsar said all was going well until 2022 when the state government changed its power policy for shrimp farmers and started charging ₹7 per unit.

“Shrimp farming is a four-month process and farmers end up paying a high amount between October-April even when they are not using the electricity. After adding taxes, shrimp farmers are charged ₹7-8 per unit. Unlike conventional farmers, we do not want free power but expect subsidy to boost the aquaculture,” said Dhillon.

Shrimp farming is an aquaculture-based activity in marine or freshwater environment to produce shrimp for human consumption. In Punjab, it is common in southwestern districts of Muktsar, Mansa, Fazilka, Ferozepur and Bathinda. This region has saline underground water that is not fit for agriculture.

Experts said waterlogging is a perennial issue in this belt and shrimp farming was proposed as a solution for farmers whose land was lying unutilised. Official sources said the fisheries department had in June last year submitted a blueprint to the higher authorities for providing electricity at non-commercial rates.

The department experts had advocated to lower power tariffs as a pilot project for one year, said an official. “It has been over 10 months and no decision has been taken on the report. A provision in this regard may be announced in the forthcoming Budget as lower power charges would encourage farmers to earn from the vast areas of non-cultivable land,” said the official, requesting anonymity.

Officials said that in 2022-23, Punjab produced around 2,500 tonnes of shrimp from 1,200 acres. Aquaculturist Sarup Singh Sandhu, president of the Punjab Shrimp Growers’ Association, said they had high hopes from the state fishery and agriculture minister Gurmeet Khudian, who hails from Muktsar, but the government has failed to give any relief to shrimp farmers. Khudian remained unavailable for comments.

Sandhu said farmers who grow water-guzzling paddy even in the arid region get power subsidy but others who are diversifying with shrimp farming get hefty bills. “Last year, the acreage shrunk to 600 acres and the area under shrimp is highly unlikely to improve this year too. There was an upward trend for six years after 2016 but imposing commercial rates for aquaculture discouraged farmers. The Punjab government should emulate the Andhra Pradesh model where shrimp farmers are charged ₹1.50 per unit for the electricity,” Sandhu added.