Uddaraju Ananda Raju Foundation engages with Dept. of Science and Technology, Govt. of India for promoting Innovative Aquaculture technologies for conservation of water and safe discharge of effluents in Andhra Pradesh.

Aquaculture is the fastest growing food production sector in the world and has emerged as one of the most significant means of alleviating poverty and malnutrition, globally. India is the second largest producer of aquaculture in the world. In 2012 India produced nearly 8.4 million tons of fish (including finfish and shellfish) nearly fifty percent of which originated from aquaculture, representing a significant increase over the past few decades. This increase in India’s aquaculture production was the result of rapid developments in the farming of whiteleg shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei recently introduced in the coastal states, particularly in Andhra Pradesh. Introduction of this shrimp was a boon to the Indian aquaculture industry which suffered heavy loss from the deadly viral diseases, collapsing the booming black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) farming since the mid-nineties.

Ananda Group has been in the forefront of promoting farmer-friendly technologies for the development of aquaculture in India with their integrated aquaculture, processing and export facilities established in Bhimavaram in Andhra Pradesh. Since the year 2000, Ananda has been promoting the concept of closed type shrimp farming which has helped in reducing discharges to the surrounding environment, and as eco-friendly farm models with improved biosecurity conditions. Feed is one of the major factors significantly affecting the economics of aquaculture enterprises, while the unused feed from farms are potential pollutants by way of farm effluents discharging nitrogenous wastes to public water bodies. Ananda has taken great strides in standardizing a zero-discharge eco-friendly farming concept using Biofloc technology and a project with an outlay of over 5 Crore Rupees over three years is being launched with the support of Dept. of Science and Technology, Govt. of India. The major objectives of the Project are:

1.To apply innovative technologies as a means of minimizing water requirement in aquaculture systems.
2. To optimize water quality in aquaculture systems by applying efficient nutritional and health management strategies for sustainable production.
3. To regulate the discharge of nitrogenous effluents from aquaculture systems to public water bodies thereby preventing aquatic pollution by eutrophication.
4.To harness renewable sources of energy for use in aquaculture systems.

The project outcomes will be disseminated to the enterprising farmers in various parts of Andhra Pradesh by the Uddaraju Ananda Raju Foundation. This Project is one of the greatest recognitions the Foundation received from Govt. of India for its earnest efforts in empowering the farmer community in Andhra Pradesh.

Promoting sustainable aquaculture technologies for production of safe and nutritious food has always been one of the top priorities of Ananda Group. Realizing that there are opportunities for farmers to get better market price for products originating from sustainable aquaculture, Ananda Foundation in association with Ristic AG, Germany and Organic Services GmbH, Germany is planning to initiate an ambitious project for promoting organic black tiger shrimp farming in West Bengal by organizing the enterprising shrimp farmers of Sunderbans and other traditional shrimp farming areas in West Bengal. The traditional aquaculture areas in West Bengal are most amenable to organic mode of farming and the project is expected to realize assured and better market returns for farmers who will be able to produce top quality products conforming to international quality standards.

Not all was well for giant freshwater prawns (scampi) in India until recently when the prawns began to be cultured in the extensive reservoirs in various parts of the Country. This practice known as culture-based fisheries has had one of the greatest impacts in reviving the interest in prawns among farmers and entrepreneurs. The major production of scampi from India now comes from culture-based fisheries in the reservoirs of Maharashtra to the tune of over 5000 tons of prawns annually, and this has been increasing in great pace. However, the support infrastructure in tune with this development has not been in place in the State. A lion’s share of the seed required for stocking these reservoirs is sourced from natural collection in the Narmada River in Gujarat, which is not an eco-friendly practice.

Ananda is a pioneer in scampi farming in India having established the first prawn hatchery in the Country during the early 1990’s. True to this tradition and with a view to promote sustainable production and supply of prawn seed to farmers for stocking in reservoirs in an organic mode, Ananda Group in collaboration with Ristic AG and Organic Services GmbH, Germany and Cameron International, India, is launching a project to set up the first fully organic scampi hatchery in India, the Lake Scampi Project, aiming to produce Green Scampi seed for stocking in the reservoirs of Maharashtra.