Facing cancellations of over 50 per cent of shrimp export orders, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed concern about the effect of US tariffs on the state, asserting that it prompted a loss of Rs. 25000 crore.
What did CM Naidu wrote in the letters concerning shrimp exports?
In letters addressed to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Fisheries Minister Rajiv Ranjan SinghNaidu highlighted the challenges faced by the state’s aquaculture sector and appealed to the Union govt. for aid> He wrote: “ the taxes imposed by America majorly hit shrimp exports. It is predicted that a lossof rs. 25k crore would have occurred. Up to 50 percent oders have been cancelled. He also cited about the taxes worth rs.600 crore levied on shipments via 2000 containers.
Notably, Andhra Pradesh accounts for 80 per cent of country’s shrimp exports and 34 per cent of marine exports and nearly, 2.5 lakh families rely on this industry.
What did he further urge the centre?
In addition, he highlighted many steps taken by the state govt. such as persuading feed manufactures to slash the prices by Rs.9 per kg and exploring subsidised power transformers for farmers. Eventually , he asked the centre to enhance the domestic consumption of aqua sector items and respite from GST rules, offering financial aid and set up a Rs 100 crore corpus fund. Not only this, but he seeks to cold storage faciliites, hygienic fish markets, dedicated transportation facilities, including regional offices in the state, pressing for stronger processing and packaging infrastructure to tap new markets.