Shrimp aquaculture has emerged as one of the fastest-growing segments of fisheries production globally, with total farmed shrimp output increasing from 4.6 million metric tonnes (MMT) in 2013 to 9.2 MMT by 2023, representing a 97 per cent rise over the last decade (FAO, 2024; latest data available). This growth has been driven by rising global demand for high-value animal protein and the sector’s ability to generate employment and income across the Global South. In India, the shrimp sector experienced a structural transformation following the introduction of Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) Litopenaeus Vannamei, enabling rapid productivity gains and integration into global value chains. More recently, shrimp farming has expanded into inland saline water (ISW) regions, offering a pathway to transform salinity-induced adversity, characterised by degraded soils, groundwater salinisation, and declining crop profitability—into an opportunity for augmenting farmers’ income. However, the expansion of shrimp aquaculture into non-coastal regions also raises critical concerns related to high capital intensity, higher biological and market risks, uneven value-chain integration, environmental externalities, and limited institutional capacities.
Against this backdrop, the central research problem addressed in this report is whether inland shrimp aquaculture can serve as a sustainable and scalable income augmentation strategy in salinity-affected regions, and under what conditions this transition can be made inclusive and resilient. Specifically, the study examines the key success factors underlying Andhra Pradesh’s shrimp aquaculture model, India’s dominant producing state (~82 percent of 1.08 MMT of shrimp production, MPEDA 2023-24 latest available data) and export hub and assesses the extent to which this model can be replicated in Sirsa district in Haryana, given its distinct inland saline ecology. It compares farmer incomes from shrimp aquaculture with traditional paddy–wheat based cropping systems in saline belts to evaluate relative profitability and livelihood outcomes. The report adopts a comparative, value-chain-based research framework to examine the economic viability, risk exposure, and scalability of inland shrimp aquaculture. It combines an in-depth case study of Sirsa district in Haryana where ISW shrimp farming has expanded rapidly under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) with benchmarking against the case studies of Bhimavaram, Krishna belt in Andhra Pradesh. Using mixed research methods, including farm-level cost and return analysis, risk simulation models, stakeholder consultations, and qualitative farmer case studies, the report analyses the sustainability of the sector to augment farmers’ income.
