India turning back to black tiger shrimp as profits fall
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Litopenaeus vannamei), is exploring a return to growing more black tiger shrimp (
Penaeus monodon) as a means of diversifying its offerings.
India’s shrimp farmers used to farm black tiger shrimp extensively, especially in the country’s coastal regions. But issues with diseases affecting black tiger shrimp production discouraged investment in the sector, and when whiteleg shrimp was introduced to India in 2009, it took just a few years for Indian farmers and investors to complete an almost wholesale shift over to vannamei, which they preferred due to its higher productivity and better disease resilience. India’s black tiger shrimp production fell to 38,000 metric tons (MT) in financial year 2019-2020, down from more than 100,000 MT of production achieved regularly between 2010 and 2013, according to data from India’s Marine Products Exports Development Authority (MPEDA).