Farmers yet to recover from EU decision on prawns

With the European Union returning 15 containers of prawns from Andhra Pradesh after finding pesticide residues in them, the taskforce committee has started cracking its whip on the manufacturers of aqua feed and pesticides and issued orders asking the immediate withdrawal of certain products. The EU’s decision has a cascading affect on the aqua trade in the State in general and in East Godavari district — from where huge quantities of marine produce is being exported to different international destinations — in particular. Return of consignments coupled with huge production of prawns resulted in a steep drop in the price thus throwing the fish farmers in the lurch.

“There is an immediate need to improve the exports for which we have to prove the world that our prawns did not contain any residues. Besides educating the farmers, we are also taking steps to curtail the circulation of certain pesticides in the market by conducting frequent raids on the shops and establishments selling the products,” P. Koteswara Rao, Principal Secretary of the Government Polytechnic for Fisheries and also convener of the State-level taskforce committee fisheries told The Hindu.

The EU’s decision, Mr. Rao says, resulted in a 32% drop in prawn exports to the member countries of the Union and another 17% drop in exports to the South Asia. A 30% increase in the exports to the U.S., however, provided a sort of solace to the farmers and the exporters.

The taskforce committee consists of representatives from the revenue, police, drug regulatory authority, food safety taskforce and the MPEDA along with an official from the fisheries department is conducing regular raids on a random basis for the last six months on all the 140 shops and establishments in the district selling the pesticides and fertilizers.

“We are sending samples to the laboratory in Chennai to check whether the drugs are of the international standards. Basing on the result, we are banning the sale of the products in the market,” he said.