Kundapur: Prawns Cultivation - No More Money-spinning Enterprise of Coastal Belt

from Vinay Pais
for Daijiworld Media Network – Kundapur (SM)

Kundapur, Oct 26: There was a time when the enterprising youngsters of Udupi district were competing with one another in prawns cultivation in the man-made ponds that were once the fertile agricultural lands bordering the long coastal belt of the district.

The new venture till then quite unknown to the young investors became so popular that even the fragmented lands, left barren on account of saline water inundation owing to sea erosion gained undue rise in their real estate value. But now these ponds in places like Tallur, Koni, Kodi, Uppunda, Seanapur, Bantwadi, Uppinakudru, Hakladi, Byndoor, Naguru to name only a few have no longer been money-spinning plants as they used to be once.

These are now empty ponds with dry beds. They do not attract fresh investments even if offered for lower lease. The only reason is the low price in the international market and the infectious white bacteria eating the baby prawns. Prawn breeding has been a roaring success since 1995. When the rainwater harvesting was made popular the prawn culture was found to damage the environment and destroy agriculture.

In Tulu prawns are called ‘etty’ and in Kannada they are named as ‘sigadi’. In the international market these prawns were sold at Rs 400-500 per 25 to 45 grams. As the produce is not taxable the producers have been greatly benefited in terms of considerable profit. Prawns free from infection are in good demand within the minimum period of 90 days to the maximum period of 120 days.

On the eve of new moon day or full moon day these prawns begin to shed their skins and the process is called moulding. During the process they are vulnerable to the attack by seagulls, big fish, crabs and such other aquatic predators.

Besides they are prone to diseases like gills, elephant disease, red gills, black gills, white spots etc. Lack of oxygen may cause their destruction as well. Effective medicines have been found except for the white spots. What is AIDS for humanity so is the white spots for prawns. The initial symptoms are the appearance of black spots on their bodies and within a couple of days they die in large numbers with their heads down close to the edges of the pond.

The entire pond will be turned in to a watery grave. Owing to the menace of this some 6-7 years ago the prawn breeding in Kumta of North Kanara district suffered an unprecedented set back since the baby prawns imported from the neighboring state of Tamilnadu were infected with white spots disease. It was then believed [even today) that the white spots migrated for the first time along with some consignment from Chennai.

Despite the mass production from this part of the district, the investors are constrained to depend on the markets in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. The market at the beginning of this new venture was found to be highly receptive and it was because of the high quality prawns. [Suitable for the international export trade] that could be bred and grown only in the saline water ponds of this coastal district.

Unfortunately, as usual our traders have begun to lose their ethical sense of business and indulge in trade mal-practices of mixing low quality prawns with high quality. Besides the prawns of low quality grown in countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Denmark, Sri Lanka and others have spoiled the demand for our own breed.

When all is said and done the business is no longer  good proposal for the enterprising youngsters of the coastal district, the interest for the new venture has of late been waning slowly and silently. The expectation on their part seems to be a desert horse of the sort. Fertile paddy fields [once a regular and an assured source of income to the farmers] now converted into prawn-ponds have been left in the lurch. The farmers who gave their lands on annual lease are now repenting for the folly they committed.