The Aquatic Quarantine Facility (AQF), an institution of the Indian RGCA-MPEDA, imported 3,600 whiteleg shrimp broodstock from Hawaii, through rigorous quarantine measures.Broodstock were successfully quarantined for five days and released to the hatchery operators with 97.12% survival, according to local news.
MPEDA chairman, KS Srinivas, said that the SPF (Specific Pathogen Free) status of all the broodstock was confirmed by the screening of OIE (World Organization for Animal Health) and non-OIE-listed pathogens.
The AQF is a state-of-the-art facility created by RGCA, at the behest of the Ministry of Agriculture, for quarantining the L. vannamei broodstock imported to India. This facility, located at Neelankarai, Chennai, is one of its kind in the world and conforms to all the international quality standards required for an aquatic quarantine for the introduction of the non-native whiteleg shrimp to India. The AQF was set into operation in 2009 and its establishment has facilitated the popularization of vannamei farming in India, which has subsequently resulted in increased shrimp production and contributed to the export revenue of the country.
