Economic evaluation of Litopenaeus vannamei farming in Indian inland saline ecosystem

Abstract

newline Salinization of soil is a serious problem that mainly affects the agricultural output of more than 100 countries worldwide and also reflects a negative impact on the socio-economic welfare of their farming communities. The majority of inland saline zones of the world are located in arid, semi-arid, low-lying, and poorly drained regions, where high concentrations of salt accumulation have occurred within the soil. The State of Haryana has an acute scarcity of cultivated lands, 0.45 million ha area suffers from the problem of waterlogging and salinity which imposes, serious limitations for raising crops at least in eight south-western districts namely Rohtak, Jhajjar, Charkhi Dadri, Bhiwani, Hisar, Jind, Sirsa, and Fatiabad, and adversely affects the cropping pattern and crop productivity resulting in huge socio-economic losses. newlineThe five years continuous increase after the initial trial, in the number of farmers, area of shrimp farming, and shrimp production indicates that farmers have readily accepted this diversified form of allied agriculture activity. More and more farmers are coming forward and started culturing vannamei in their salt affected agriculture lands. This profit against the farming is doubled because the farmers are culturing vannamei for second crop. The Government of India launched Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMSSY) to encourage fishermen, women and Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe farmers. Haryana and Punjab States are well utilizing Inland underground Saline water for the culture of Letopeneus vannamei. In order to encourage fishermen in the saline affected areas, Government of India has enhanced the subsidy from 20% to 60% under Central Sector Scheme on Blue Revolution for Excavation, renovation, and inputs of ponds, and development of waterlogged and saline-affected areas. newlineThe rapid change in the study area has been noticed between 2016 to 2018 and also noticed till the financial year 2022-23. Mostly the salt affected agricultural lands are converted into inland