PROBLEMS FACED BY AQUA FARMERS

The Government of Andhra Pradesh reports that about 2.16 lakh aquaculture farmers operate on roughly 5.79 lakh acres of freshwater and brackish‑water farms. Farmers are confronting falling market prices and rising fish‑feed costs. To mitigate these issues, feed manufacturers have agreed to cut shrimp‑feed prices by ₹4 per kg, and registered farmers receive electricity at a subsidised tariff of ₹1.50 per unit. The Union Government has rationalised customs duties on 16 key aquaculture inputs (reducing rates to 0‑5 %) in the 2024‑25 and 2025‑26 budgets, and in September 2025 lowered GST on over 20 fisheries‑related products from 12‑18 % to 5 %. These steps aim to lower production costs, improve farmer profitability, and boost the sector’s competitiveness.