The 6th edition of Chennai based ICAR-CIBA’s Shrimp Farmer’s Conclave (SFC) was organised at Churu, Rajgarh District, Rajasthan on 1st November 2025 with an objective to have direct dialogue with farmers, and understand the region-specific issues pertaining to shrimp farming in the inland saline soil of western India. Inland shrimp farming is a unique niche aquaculture system using amended saline groundwater and is currently a significant economic activity in the north-western India with an estimated 3000 acres of land developed into commercial shrimp ponds generating approximately 10,000 tonnes of farmed shrimp annually.
Shri.Rahul Kaswan, Hon’ble Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) and Dr. Mangi Lal Jat, the Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) and Director General Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) were the esteemed chairs of this program. Dr J.K.Jena, Deputy Director General (Fisheries), ICAR and Dr. Rajbir Singh, Deputy Director General (Agrl. Extension), ICAR, Dr.B.K.Behera, the Chief Executive, National Fisheries Development Board, Dr. N P. Sahoo, Director ICAR-CIFE and Dr.Kuldeep K Lal, Director ICAR-CIBA along with more than 200 participants comprised of aqua farmers, state government officials from ICAR and scientists from ICAR research institutions and other stakeholders participated in this SFC a first of its kind in the region.
Inaugurating the SFC the Honourable Member of Parliament, Churu, Shri Rahul Kaswan highlighted the shrimp aquaculture is the potential commercial farming model in the inland saline soils of Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana region due to the soil salinization. He stressed the need for considering shrimp farming on par with agriculture, the necessity for institutional credit, insurance and sought the cooperation from all the departments to keep Churu as the major shrimp farming hub in the region. The dignitaries released the Hindi versions of CIBA’s publications respectively on ‘Recent Advances in Brackishwater Aquaculture – A farmers guide’ and CIBA EHP CURA- I for EHP free shrimp farming (in Hindi) during the event. Further, shrimp crop insurance policy facilitated by CIBA was also handed over to Mrs Smita Rajawat, the shrimp farmer during the occasion by the hon’ble dignitaries. The input CIBA EHP CURA- I was distributed to six farmers for application in their shrimp ponds.
Dr. Mangi Lal Jat, the Secretary DARE and Dire tor General, ICAR highlighted the significance and potential of saline water aquaculture in the inland saline region of western India. He emphasized the requirement of infrastructure development, detailed project report for sustainable shrimp farming in Churu and integrating the aquaculture with diversified horticulture like Khajoor and Dragon fruit cultivation in this region. He appreciated the efforts of the farmers in the region in bringing about such a success. He also stressed upon the integrated farming and exploring other options such as agrotourism. Earlier in the day, Dr. Mangi Lal Jat visited the shrimp farm and had interaction with the farmer’s while witnessing the shrimp farming operations.
Dr. J K Jena, DDG (Fisheries), ICAR informed about the importance of shrimp farming and its contribution to the economy to the tune of Rs. 46000 crores. He felt that Inland saline areas can serve as hub of disease-free shrimp farming since they are less prone to the risk of viral diseases as found in the coastal regions. He also apprised that seed can be the only source of disease and hence farmers should be cautious in selecting quality shrimp seed and follow better management practices of shrimp farming.
Dr. Rajbir Singh, DDG (Agrl. Extension), ICAR informed about the actions required for the involvement of KVKs to act as an excellent training centre for shrimp farming in this region.
Dr B K Behra, CE, NFDB, explained in detail the schemes available for the shrimp farmers and the importance of developing Churu as a shrimp farming cluster. He urged the farmers to register on National Fisheries Digital Platform (NFDP) portal for availing the benefits.
Dr. N P Sahoo, Director-CIFE, explained the development of the inland shrimp farming technology by ICAR-CIFE.
Dr Manoj Khemada, Sub Divisional Megistrate, Sadulpur and Sh. Om Prakash Khichar, District President, Kisan Vikas Manch, Churu also expressed their views on promoting shrimp farming in the region.
Dr. Kuldeep K Lal, Director, ICAR CIBA in his welcome address explained the background of this SFC program which is part of the series of region-specific shrimp farmer conclaves conducted by ICAR-CIBA. He also informed that CIBA has mapped the potential aquaculture area in Rajasthan state and identified about 35277 ha area in seven districts using space technology and ground truth verification surveys. He also informed that the availability of local feed based on CIBA Vanami plus feed technology produced by partner Dr Attar Feeds in the region.
Subsequently during the technical session presentations on the new technologies, aquaculture practices, disease management and EHP cura and shrimp crop insurance were made for the benefit of shrimp farmers which were followed by panel discussion and farmer’s interactions. The farmers were sensitized about the use of EHP-CURA-I developed by ICAR-CIBA, for prevention and cure of EHP disease in shrimp, which causes losses of Rs 3000 crore to Indian shrimp farming. ICAR-CIBA provided technical support to insurance companies to develop the insurance policies and currently the institute has partnered with 5 companies to develop the insurance policies, which are now being popularised by the NFDB for wider adoption.
Region-specific conclaves have enabled ICAR-CIBA to succeed in directly engaging with farmers and relevant line departments. By bringing together research and technology providers, policy regulators, and farmers onto a single platform, these events facilitate the identification of critical gaps, determine necessary mitigation strategies, and significantly increase farmer awareness. The literature and lectures are provided in local languages to maximize outreach.
The Navsari-Gujarat Research Centre of CIBA with the support of scientists of CIBA headquarters Chennai coordinated this event.
