Shrimp bytes
GalaxEye Blue Reveals 70% of Shrimp Ponds in Andhra Pradesh Active at the End of April
Since the beginning of this year, I have worked as an advisor for the Indian Space Tech start-up GalaxEye Space to support the development of its GalaxEye Blue offering for the shrimp industry. Why? Because I believe in what the power satellite monitoring can bring to the shrimp industry. Let me show you what GalaxEye today can already do for you.
GalaxEye Blue
GalaxEye Blue is designed to (1) show pond activity at different levels of geoFigureic aggregation, from individual ponds to state level, and (2) to allow users to examine a wide range of water quality parameters at the pond level. Its Track product, focusing on monitoring pond stocking status in the six central shrimp farming districts in Andhra Pradesh, is now being commercially launched, and its capabilities are exciting.
Source: GalaxEye Space
GalaxEye Blue Track has identified each shrimp pond in Andhra Pradesh’s six largest shrimp farming districts (according to the old district division). It knows when each pond was stocked and the current number of days of culture. The system then estimates the shrimp count in each pond. The system aggregates this at the village, sub-district, district, and state levels. The data is updated weekly, and users can access it through an easy-to-handle online dashboard or Excel spreadsheets.
Using the data, companies can better oversee the overall stocking situation and which sizes and volumes are expected where in Andhra Pradesh. This information can be used as an indicator for supply and price forecasting. This should be considered a significant step forward. Previously, the companies depended on intelligence from field teams and a network of middlemen, which comes with all its limitations.
So, what does GalaxEye Blue Track’s data tell us about the situation in Central and Southern Andhra Pradesh?
Historical Development of Total Number of Ponds
Let’s first look at the long-term development. Despite a dip in 2022 and 2023, from 2020 to 2024, GalaxEye Blue observes an increase of 14% in the total number of ponds under shrimp cultivation. The increase has concentrated mostly in Central Andhra Pradesh (Eastern and Western Godavari, and Krishna), where it was 17%, and less in Southern Andhra Pradesh (Guntur, Prakasam and Nellore), where it only increased by 8%.
| Year | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Andhra Pradesh | 53,890 | 56,485 | 53,434 | 58,520 | 63,184 |
| Northern Andhra Pradesh | 26,545 | 27,213 | 26,650 | 26,892 | 28,616 |
| Total | 80,435 | 83,698 | 80,084 | 85,412 | 91,800 |
Active vs Total Number of Ponds 29th of April 2024
GalaxEye Blue Track’s dashboard indicates that by 29 April 2024, 71% of the total number of ponds had been actively stocked. The stocking rates were the highest in Central Andhra Pradesh, where they were around 75% already. In Southern Andhra Pradesh, the stocking rates are slightly lower. At request, the stocking rates can be compared with the same dates of previous years so they can be better put into perspective.
| Region | District | Total ponds | Active ponds | % Active |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Andhra Pradesh | East Godavari | 22,324 | 16,734 | 75% |
| West Godavari | 18,923 | 14,612 | 77% | |
| Krishna | 21,937 | 16,257 | 74% | |
| Southern Andhra Pradesh | Guntur | 6,413 | 4,412 | 69% |
| Prakasam | 4,042 | 2,394 | 59% | |
| Nellore | 18,161 | 11,089 | 61% | |
| Total | 91,800 | 65,498 | 71% | |
Estimated Shrimp Counts
Unfortunately, at this point, GalaxEye Blue has not yet provided an estimation of biomass. While it’s relatively easy to observe when ponds went into production, the stocking densities and survival rates are unknown. The team is working on providing a calculator that allows a user to enter assumptions on both parameters and then estimate biomass. However, this won’t be part of the standard GalaxEye Blue Track reporting format, as the estimation might be too inaccurate. Therefore, rather than reporting on biomass, GalaxEye Blue Track reports on the number of days of culture and related estimations of the size counts in the ponds. This is presented in Figure 2.
Source: GalaxEye Space
The estimated size distribution of all the stocked ponds suggests that of all active ponds at the end of April, more than 62% were carrying sizes smaller than >100 per kg. Medium and larger sizes were scarcely available, explaining the high level of competition for these raw materials among processors that must fulfill their order books. Medium and larger sizes should only become more readily available towards the beginning of June.
In the reporting format, GalaxEye Blue Track provides a monthly forecast of the future availability of raw material sizes. These forecasts are based on historical averages. The numbers can be broken down to the village level.
Are you curious to learn more?
The GalaxEye team and I are eager to demonstrate the dashboard and discuss how GalaxEye Blue Track can enhance your business. Feel free to reach out at willem@shrimpinsights.com.
