Shortage of black tiger shrimp in India triggers sharp rise in prices

According to industry sources, the price of black tiger shrimp in India has risen sharply this week. Manoj Sharma, a veteran black tiger shrimp farmer in Gujarat, said: Sharma said: "It has gone up by almost $0.50 to $0.70 per kg! This is mainly due to shortages in the market. I think this is temporary and prices are expected to fall after the main harvest starts in mid-August." Unlike white shrimp, farmers of black tiger shrimp usually harvest only once a year. This means that the seeds are usually stocked between March and May and then harvested 120 to 150 days later, between late July and September. Earlier this year, Sharma had told the media that 95% of shrimp farmers in Gujarat have switched to black tiger shrimp farming this year due to the high mortality rate and low prices of white shrimp. Compared with Andhra Pradesh, India's main shrimp farming center, and even Ecuador, the state cannot compete due to economies of scale. In Andhra Pradesh, 18 black tiger shrimps farmed ...