Hyderabad-based Indian Immunologicals (IIL), a subsidiary of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), has forayed into the aquaculture health segment with the launch of its products to serve the growing need in farmed shrimp and fish in the country. IIL’s foray into the aquaculture segment will be in multiple phases, comprising of multiple products including vaccines. IIL as a one health company produces multiple types of vaccines for multiple species such as human, cattle, ships and goats, pigs, and companion animals.
The aquaculture segment is comprised of fish and shrimp. Shrimp farming has been a huge success in India. The farmed shrimp industry is expected to grow by 11 per cent against a global growth rate of 5.6 per cent. India has established itself as the second largest farmed-shrimp producer in the world. India’s global market share in the shrimp business is 14 per cent. India’s annual shrimp production is around 600,000 metric tonnes that aggregate to more than US$3 billion with a CAGR of 32 per cent since 2010.
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India’s shrimp industry primarily includes two species, white leg shrimp and black tiger shrimp. Approximately 40 per cent of shrimp is exported to the US followed by approximately 30 per cent to Vietnam and nearly 15 per cent to the European Union. The export market strictly demands antibiotic-free products.
Highlighting the entry into the aquaculture health segment, Dr K Anand Kumar, Managing Director of Indian Immunologicals said, “IIL is committed to introducing products including vaccines that will significantly reduce the usage of antibiotics in the aqua health industry”. Dr. Priyabrata Pattnaik, Deputy Managing Director of IIL said, “IIL with its strong R&D team, has all the technological capabilities to manufacture vaccines for aqua health management.”
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Total fish production in India in 2018 is estimated at 6.24 million metric tons (MMT). The growth in the fish farming sector mainly comes from the freshwater aquaculture sector. Though India holds the second position in the world for freshwater fish farmed production, freshwater fish farming in India is still based on traditional methods – large ponds, no water exchange, no draining, and no bottom sediment removal – that often lead to conditions that promote diseases. Many fish farmers are tempted to use a high dose of antibiotics to treat such diseases which ultimately leads to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). IIL as a one health company, through its foray into the aquaculture health segment intends to play a role in minimising the use of antibiotics, ultimately protecting the environment and health.
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