The Chief Minister's Office of Andhra Pradesh announced on Thursday, June 18, 2026 that Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu chaired a review meeting with aqua farmers, feed manufacturers, and senior officials, at which manufacturers agreed to reduce aquaculture feed prices by Rs.4 per kg, bringing the rate down from Rs.112 to Rs.108 per kg.

Context

Aqua farmers who attended the meeting told CM Chandrababu Naidu that feed prices were raised six times during the previous government's tenure and that the then-administration took no initiative to bring them down. They noted that the per-kg feed price stood at Rs.87.80 in 2019 and had climbed to Rs.107.80 by the time the previous government left office in 2024.

Farmers further pointed out that the current coalition government had already reduced feed prices by Rs.5.80 per kg shortly after assuming office, and Thursday's additional cut of Rs.4 per kg deepens that relief. Minister Achchennayudu was also present at the review meeting alongside manufacturers and senior officials.

Policy Backdrop

Andhra Pradesh's coastal aquaculture sector is one of the state's most significant contributors to exports and rural employment, with lakhs of families depending on shrimp and fish farming along the coast. The TDP-BJP-JSP coalition government, which returned to power in 2024, has pursued direct negotiations with feed manufacturers as a tool to reverse input-cost increases that accumulated under the previous YSRCP administration.

Farmers credited CM Chandrababu Naidu with expanding aquaculture beyond its earlier concentration in the Godavari districts, extending it along the entire coastline from Srikakulam district to Nellore district. They also thanked the government for supplying electricity to aquaculture units at a subsidised rate of Rs.1.50 per unit.

Stakeholders and Impact

The price reduction directly benefits aqua farmers who purchase large volumes of feed as their primary production input. A lower feed price translates into reduced per-kg cultivation costs, potentially improving margins on shrimp and fish sold in domestic and export markets.

CM Naidu urged farmers to focus on reducing overall production costs to maximise profits, and stated that the coalition government bears the responsibility of protecting an aquaculture sector on which 'lakshaladimandi aadharapadadam' ('lakhs of people depend'). Feed manufacturers, who agreed to the cut at the meeting, are key intermediaries whose cooperation is essential for the price signal to reach farm level.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to whether the agreed Rs.4 per kg reduction is uniformly implemented across all brands and districts, and whether the subsidised power tariff of Rs.1.50 per unit is extended or made permanent for the full coastal belt. The government's ability to sustain both interventions simultaneously will be watched as a test of the coalition's commitment to the aquaculture sector ahead of the next agricultural season.