Organized shrimp, mussel and fresh water fish farming in the interiors of Goa or in Goan villages can more than offset the losses caused to local businesses and villagers due to the slump in tourism caused due to Covid pandemic and the closure of the mining business in the state, according to Centre for Promoting Indian Economy.
Shrimp farming is an aquaculture business that exists in either a marine or freshwater environment, producing two to three varieties of shrimp or prawns for human consumption. Freshwater fish is cultivated in ponds or trenches created specially for the purpose and about 40 to 60 percent of it is consumed by the fish processing industry. While the coastal areas of rural Maharashtra including villages in Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg have taken up aquaculture in a very big way, Goa is still dependent on tourism for its revenue, a mistake that is now very apparent to Goans across the state, thanks to the Covid pandemic.
Aquaculture farmers can earn an income of Rs ten lakh in the shrimp season that lasts for six months from May to October. Approximately, about 4,000 kgs of shrimps can be produced from a pond excavated on an acre of land, which can fetch a price of Rs 250-350 per kg. After excluding costs, and other expenses, the net profit can range from 4-5 lakh per acre, which is more than any other crop that is sowed in a conventional cropping system. Besides, the demand for seafood including shrimps, mussels and fresh fish is drastically higher in Goa, compared to other states, and even without foreign tourists, the local consumption is high enough, and the high price of beef and mutton could be a huge incentive for aquaculture farmers in Goa, said Goemcho Goenkar, a group of citizens. Being a tourist destination with the majority of the local population consuming fish, there is a high demand for finfish and shellfish in Goa and the present demand far exceeds the normal supply, CPIE India pointed out.