Economic Impact of Disease Outbreaks on Penaeus vannamei Farming in Maharashtra, India

Abstract

India is one of the top five seafood exporters globally, with frozen shrimp representing a significant portion of its seafood exports. In Maharashtra, brackish water covers a considerable area, contributing to the region's overall shrimp production. Even though white-leg shrimp farming has been extremely successful, there are still numerous obstacles to overcome, such as diseases, which limit the sector’s ability to expand and cause huge economic losses. The present study was conducted in the state of Maharashtra with purposively selected districts Palghar and Raigad, to analyse the economic costs of shrimp disease. Primary and secondary data were used for this study, the primary data were collected from 60 shrimp farms through a pre-tested interview schedule and the secondary data were collected from previous studies and the Department of Fisheries, Maharashtra. The study revealed that the economic direct losses incurred by farmers per acre were ₹ 254612 and the economic loss concerning variable cost per crop per acre was ₹ 53940. The benefit-cost ratio for healthy and disease-affected farms was 1.22 and 1.02, respectively. This showed significant economic loss due to diseases. The economic impact of shrimp diseases in Indian shrimp farming highlights the need for immediate adoption of better management practices (BMP) and biosecurity measures as well as policy interventions to reduce the losses.