Andhra CM Naidu's meeting with aquaculture stakeholders 'useless': Jagan Mohan Reddy

Amaravati: YSRCP supremo YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday said the recent aquaculture stakeholders meeting by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to alleviate their woes emanating from American tariffs were of no use as the situation at the ground level showed no signs of improvement.

Observing that district level leaders had apprised him of the "useless" stakeholders meeting with the CM, Reddy urged Naidu to work towards the genuine welfare of aquaculture farmers, instead of 'publicity'.

"Your (Naidu) meetings and statements should not be for publicity but for the genuine welfare of aquaculture farmers," said Reddy in a post on 'X', asserting that YSRCP leaders' campaigns and agitations prompted the CM to organise a stakeholders meeting.

Further, the opposition leader questioned why the price of shrimp feed is not reduced when taxes and raw material costs fall.

According to Reddy, shrimp feed is a key component of aquaculture, which rose by Rs 6.5 per kg when 15 per cent tax was imposed but noted that that corresponding fall in price is not reflecting when tax has been slashed to five per cent.

Likewise, he said soya bean, an ingredient used in shrimp feed, also witnessed a fall in price from Rs 105 per kg to Rs 25 per kg but lamented the lack of corresponding drop in soya bean price.

"When raw material prices drop like this then shouldn't (shrimp) feed prices fall? Why aren't they falling? Why isn't the government acting in this direction," Reddy asked.

At a time when US President Donald Trump's reciprocal tariffs on India have been paused for 90 days, the YSRCP chief questioned why shrimp are not fetching lucrative prices, noting that all the shrimp exported to the US are below 50 count (50 shrimp per kg).

Similarly, he demanded why 100 count shrimp exported to Europe, 'where taxes are not a worry', are failing to fetch higher prices.

Underscoring that farmers are not receiving Rs 220 price for 100 count shrimp determined by the government, Reddy demanded the TDP-led NDA government to make sure that Rs 270 is guaranteed for 100 count shrimp.

Moreover, the former CM observed that the erstwhile YSRCP government used to run Andhra Pradesh Aquaculture Development Authority, "which used to regularly monitor the situation to stand by farmers".

Demanding the authority's immediate revival, Reddy called for measures to rescue aquaculture farmers.

Aquaculture is a key sector, fourth largest, in the southern state, contributing nearly nine per cent of the Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2024-25 at over Rs 1.3 lakh crore.

For FY26, the chief minister set a GVA sub-sector contribution target of nine per cent for aquaculture at over Rs 1.54 lakh crore.

Naidu on April 7 promised to stand by the aquaculture sector, which has been battered by Trump's reciprocal tariffs.

Andhra Pradesh is a major seafood production hub, where more than 5.7 lakh acres, most of them paddy fields converted into ponds, are under aquaculture, led by the districts of Eluru, West Godavari and Krishna, among others.

Vannamei variety of shrimp is bred in more than 2.5 lakh acres in the southern state.