KENDRAPADA: About 10,000 fish and shrimp farmers from mountainous Kendrapada and its neighboring regions suffered enormous declines as cyclone Yaas and subsequent flooding washed away many farms and using it both the shrimps at Rajkanika, Aul and Rajnagar blocks.
The tidal surge breached embankments of fish farms in several areas in Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapada and Jagatsinghpur districts, Sumant Biswal, president of Odisha Marine Fish Producers’ Association, stated.
Pravat Das, a shrimp farmer in Kendrapada’s Batighar village, also stated,”I’ve incurred enormous losses because my fish farms around six acres were totally washed off.
I dropped shrimps value Rs 30 lakh.
Recovering from the reduction won’t be easy.” Fish farmers in Kendrapada’s Rajnagar, Aul and Rajkanika blocks continued losses.
The cyclonic storm washed out homes and other structures surrounding the farms and ponds.
“We need debut of interest-free or very low interest loans to allow them to defeat the reductions,” Prasana Behera, president of Odisha Traditional Fish Workers Union (OTFWU), stated.
“Virtually all fishes in my pond had been washed away from the flooding.
This past year, I spent $50,000 to revive the pond and 2 weeks ago introduced the juveniles,” explained Abhiram Biswal of Padanipal village.
District fisheries officer (Kendrapada) Mamata Mohapatra said just 729 fish farmers have enrolled their farms around 1,400 acres of property in the area.
“Other fish farms are far prohibited as people violate the coastal regulation zone along with rulings of the Supreme Court along with Orissa high court.
Farmers cultivating fish without enrolling using the coastal aquaculture power (CAA) are apt to be imprisoned for 3 decades and fined up to Rs 1 lakh.
We’re estimating the reduction.
All affected fish and shrimp farmers could get support from the section,” he explained.