The farming of shrimp and prawn may get momentum in the state of Punjab and Haryana due to the development of new technology by the Central Institute of Fisheries Education (CIFE), Mumbai. The productivity of prawn is poor in the saline wastelands and is generally restricted to coastal areas but this new technology allows use of the saline wastelands for the farming.
Started in 2008 by CIFE at its Rohtak centre (Haryana), the experimental trials on tiger shrimps or prawns were continued until 2012 to study the feasibility and financial viability of the technology. Buoyed by the response, the technology was passed on to farmers in Haryana. Farmers have now started commercial prawn farming, spread over 20 acres this year.
The nature of habitat in which shrimp is naturally found and commercially grown - coastal soil & seawater - is entirely different from inland conditions. The present innovation focuses on changing the chemical composition of inland water by designing specific and correct ionic concentration to make it suitable for growth, survival and commercial farming of shrimps.