Aquaculture farmer organizations and cluster management: concepts and experiences

Reduced disease incidence
The incidence of disease in society shrimp ponds has decreased substantially in the 
past six years as a result of the introduction of BMPs, as shown in Table A2.1. Disease 
affected 82 percent of society ponds in 2003 and 21 percent in 2009 (a reduction of 

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Aquaculture farmer organizations and cluster management – Concepts and experiences
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62 percentage points), while in the same period disease incidence in non-society shrimp 
ponds decreased by 39 percentage points. Currently, disease prevalence in non-society 
ponds is approximately two and half times higher than in society ponds.
Increased productivity and quality
As shown in Table A2.2, the productivity of society ponds improved greatly between 
2004 and 2006 due to the implementation of simple, science-based farm practices 
(BMPs). In 2004, society farmers were producing 0.231 tonnes of shrimp per hectare, 
which increased to 1.07 tonnes per hectare in 2006. However, as the productivity of 
farmers varies according to the area, this is not as reliable an indicator of success as 
reduction in disease prevalence (above) and increase in profitability (below).
The quality and safety of shrimp from society farms has also increased owing to 
their improved management practices, reduction in use of banned chemicals, no use 
of antibiotics and use of disease-free healthy shrimp (see below). The size of society- 
produced shrimp has also increased by 8 percent.
Increased access to good-quality inputs 
One of the main reasons that the productivity of society farmers has increased 
substantially since 2003 is due to their use of good-quality seed facilitated by the 
formation of farmer societies. High-quality and healthy seed is fundamental to the 
success of shrimp farming. Small-scale farmers in India find it difficult to buy good- 
quality seed due to a combination of factors including lack of information on the 
quality of seed being bought, limited negotiating power with hatcheries and a high risk 
of being unable to get quality seed at the right time. In order to address these problems,
NaCSA helped societies develop a “contract hatchery system”. Under this system, 
society farmers bypass intermediaries and place bulk orders for the required quality 
and quantity of seed directly with a government-registered hatchery 45–60 days before 
the planned stocking date. Society leaders visit several hatcheries to observe processes 
and procedures, and mutual agreement is reached between selected hatcheries and 
society farmers. These agreements cover issues related to BMPs to be used in hatcheries 
and other requirements for the production and procurement of quality seed (NaCSA, 
2009). In exchange for meeting the societies’ requirements, hatcheries usually receive 
a 20–30 percent premium price for shrimp seed, ensuring that both the farmers and 
hatchery benefit, making this an effective and sustainable solution to the problem of 
obtaining good-quality seed. So far, 200 society farmers have been trained by NaCSA 
TABLE A2.2