Indian West Bengal state has banned 20 antibiotics and other substances from use in shrimp farms, local news reported.

The move comes in the wake of the country's apex drug regulatory authority asking states and union territories to restrict the availability and usage of banned veterinary antibiotics in aquaculture, particularly for shrimp farming.

According to sources in the state, the importing nations have become stricter about India as a source of shrimp. The EU has increased the rate of testing for antibiotic residue in Indian shrimp shipments and the US regulators have even resorted to rejecting some Indian shipments after detecting antibiotics.