Many aqua farmers are struggling to market their produce in Konaseema district as Internet services have been suspended post violence in Amalapuram.
Thousands of farmers cultivating fish and shrimp in the coastal villages in the district procure seed, feed, ice and other material in huge quantity.
“As the produce is procured and sold in bulk, the traders and farmers depended on online services. The traders make digital payments to us,” said a farmer, Lanka Kesava Rao, of S. Yanam.
“Many aqua farmers are harvesting and preparing their tanks for the next season. For selling the stocks and to purchase seed, transactions are made online,” farmers said on Tuesday.
The police had suspended Internet services in Amalapuram, Mummidivaram, Ambajipeta, Razole, Kothapeta, Ravulapalem, Inavilli and other places in the district after violence broke out on May 24 opposing the government’s move to rename the district after B.R. Ambedkar.
“Aquaculture is spread over thousands of acres in Katrenikona, Allavaram, Uppalaguptam, Amalapuram Rural, I. Polavaram, Mummidivaram, Razole, Malkipuram, Sakinetipalli, Muramalla, Antarvedi and other mandals. This is the harvest season and transactions will be made in lakhs every day,” said B. Swamy, another farmer.
“Aqua ponds in thousands of acres have been harvested at Guttenadeevi, Bendamuru Lanka, Ponnamanda, Pasarlapudi, Kesanakuripalem, Vadalaredu and other villages. As there is no Internet service, we are finding it difficult to sell the stocks,” said a shrimp farmer, Vasamsetti Gangadhar, of Samanthakuru.
“The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) will give alerts on the price of shrimp in the international market to the farmers on their mobile phones. Traders will buy the stocks and pay the amount online. Suspension of Internet services has hit the aqua sector,” said a trader, G. Shivaram Prasad, of Bhimavaram.
“For placing orders for seed, feed and other material, we have to make online payments to the hatcheries and feed companies. We cannot carry huge amounts and make cash payments, which is not safe,” said another farmer Seelam Srinivas.
“About 10 seafood export companies will buy stocks from the aquaculture farmers in various mandals. Farmers are insisting on digital transactions to prevent cheating,” said a marketing executive, P. Raghava Rao.
Farmers urge the government to resume Internet services immediately.
