AIoT Technology Can Nearly Double Shrimp Farmers’ Income in Haryana: ICRIER Recommends National AIoT Mission

[ABS News Service/03.11.2026]

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An ICRIER policy brief titled “From Ponds to Platform: The Case for AIoT-Enabled Shrimp Aquaculture in Sirsa, Haryana”, authored by Raya Das, Tanay Suntwal and Ashok Gulati, highlights the potential of Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) to improve shrimp productivity, reduce production costs, strengthen disease surveillance and enhance India's seafood export competitiveness. Evidence from a pilot project in Sirsa shows that AIoT-enabled shrimp farming increased estimated annual net returns from ₹5.63 lakh to ₹10.40 lakh per acre. The study recommends a National AIoT Mission, technology-linked credit and insurance, digital traceability and targeted infrastructure support to scale up inland saline aquaculture.

Detailed Summary

1. India's shrimp export performance and need for technological transformation

· India has emerged as the world's second-largest shrimp exporter after Ecuador, following the expansion of Litopenaeus vannamei aquaculture since 2011.

· India's total seafood exports reached US$8.46 billion in FY 2025–26, of which frozen shrimp accounted for US$5.6 billion, representing approximately 66.2% of total seafood exports.

· Global farmed shrimp production reached approximately 9.2 million tonnes in 2024, while global shrimp imports were valued at nearly US$29.8 billion in 2025.

· India's frozen shrimp exports increased from US$2.58 billion in 2013 to nearly US$4.97 billion in 2025. However, India's share in global frozen shrimp exports remained broadly stable, indicating that export growth has largely kept pace with global market expansion.

· India's value-added shrimp exports increased substantially from US$22.7 million in 2013 to US$692 million in 2025, representing approximately 10% of the global value-added shrimp market.

· The study argues that India's future export competitiveness cannot depend only on expanding production volumes and cultivated areas. Greater emphasis is required on:

o Higher farm productivity and survival rates.

o Efficient utilisation of feed, water and electricity.

o Early detection and management of diseases.

o Processing and value addition.

o Digital traceability and sustainable production.

· The changing international trade environment, including higher US tariffs on Indian shrimp, reinforces the need to diversify export markets towards the EU, Japan, China and Southeast Asia.

2. Role of Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) in shrimp aquaculture

· AIoT combines Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, automated equipment and Artificial Intelligence to monitor farm conditions and support real-time decision-making.

· The technology can continuously monitor:

o Dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature and salinity.

o Water quality and pond conditions.

o Shrimp feeding behaviour and biomass.

o Disease risks and environmental changes.

o Electricity consumption and aerator performance.

· AI-based systems can optimise feeding schedules, detect abnormal pond conditions and predict potential disease outbreaks.

· Automated feeders help prevent excessive feeding and reduce feed wastage, while smart aerator controls improve energy efficiency.

· Digital farm records can also support traceability, insurance assessment, credit evaluation and integration with seafood processors and exporters.

· The study emphasises that technology should not merely monitor pond conditions but should help farmers anticipate and prevent production losses.

3. International experiences and lessons from Southeast Asia

The study examines technology adoption models in Vietnam, Indonesia and other aquaculture markets.

· Vietnam – Tepbac: Its Envisor water-quality sensor and Farmext application provide real-time monitoring of oxygen, pH, temperature and salinity. The company reports approximately 20% lower operating costs and up to 30% higher value per harvest.

· Indonesia – eFishery: Smart feeders use acoustic sensors to identify feeding requirements and release feed accordingly. Early deployments reportedly reduced feed wastage by approximately 21%.

· Indonesia – DELOS: Its AquaHero platform uses biological models and farm data to identify potential disease outbreaks approximately a week in advance.

· Vietnam – AquaEasy: Bosch's aquaculture technology combines automated feeding with AI-based analysis of shrimp behaviour to improve feeding efficiency.

· Vietnam – RYNAN/TOMGOXY: Its pond design and oxygenation systems aim to reduce water exchange requirements and improve production efficiency.

Key lesson: Successful technology adoption requires integration of farm monitoring, automated operations, technical assistance, credit, insurance and market access rather than merely selling equipment to farmers.

4. Challenges facing shrimp farmers in Haryana

The study identifies several structural problems affecting inland saline shrimp aquaculture, particularly in Sirsa district.

· Disease risk: Diseases such as White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) and Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) create significant production risks.

· Electricity costs: Shrimp farmers in Haryana pay approximately ₹4.65–₹5 per unit compared with around ₹1.25 per unit in notified aquaculture zones in Andhra Pradesh.

· Limited technical knowledge: Most Haryana shrimp farmers are first-generation entrants who previously cultivated wheat, cotton or paddy.

· Inadequate institutional credit: Many shrimp farms operate on leased land, which cannot easily be pledged as collateral for bank loans.

· Limited processing infrastructure: Farmers depend on distant coastal markets for feed, seed and processing facilities, increasing logistics costs.

· High investment requirements: Basic technology deployment can cost approximately ₹1 lakh per pond, making it difficult for small farmers to adopt.

· Insurance constraints: Conventional crop insurance has struggled to assess underwater losses and provide adequate disease coverage.

· Limited extension support: Farmers often lack technical assistance after purchasing monitoring equipment.

The study notes that approximately one in five shrimp production cycles in Haryana ends in failure due to biological or market-related shocks.

5. Aqua Exchange: India's full-stack AIoT platform

· Aqua Exchange, headquartered in Vijayawada, has developed an integrated aquaculture technology platform covering monitoring, finance and market linkages.

· As of March 2026, the company reportedly monitored more than 80,000 acres and operated over 20,000 devices across 15 categories.

· Its platform integrates farm-level data with financial services, insurance and market linkages.

· Its major equipment includes:

Equipment	Main function
PowerMon	Monitors electricity consumption, corrects power factor and provides alerts regarding power fluctuations.
Automatic Feeder	Distributes feed automatically and records feeding data through a mobile application.
Aerator Starter	Controls aerators automatically or remotely and protects motors against power fluctuations.

· The study reports that PowerMon rents for approximately ₹5,085 per production cycle, the automatic feeder costs ₹12,712 per cycle, and the aerator starter is priced at ₹16,949 per unit.

· The platform demonstrates how affordable, subscription-based technology can help small farmers overcome high upfront investment requirements.

6. Measurable productivity improvements through AIoT adoption

The study presents farm-level evidence from 225 Aqua Exchange-monitored farms in Andhra Pradesh.

Performance indicator	Before AIoT	After AIoT
Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR)	1.846	1.380
Power factor	0.807	0.965
Crop success rate (sample)	Around 67%	Around 83%

· Feed Conversion Ratio improved by approximately 25.4%, reducing the quantity of feed required to produce one kilogram of shrimp.

· Feed costs declined from approximately ₹15 lakh to ₹13.1 lakh per hectare per production cycle.

· The study estimates feed savings of approximately ₹1.87 lakh per hectare per cycle.

· Power factor improved from approximately 0.81 to 0.96, increasing electrical efficiency.

· The sample showed an improvement of 16 percentage points in crop success rates.

· These improvements were statistically significant in the paired farm-level analysis.

7. Expansion of inland saline aquaculture in Haryana

· Haryana's inland saline aquaculture sector has expanded significantly, particularly after the introduction of PMMSY support in 2020.

· The area under aquaculture increased from approximately 440 hectares in 2019–20 to 2,360 hectares in 2024–25.

· Production increased from approximately 2,860 tonnes in 2019–20 to 15,468 tonnes in 2024–25.

· Sirsa is a major shrimp-producing district, with an estimated 4,000–4,500 tonnes of shrimp production from more than 678 hectares in 2023–24.

· The study observes that Haryana's 2024–25 shrimp output is sufficient to support the development of local processing infrastructure.

· A processing plant with capacity of 50–60 tonnes per day would require approximately 8,800 tonnes of raw material annually.

· However, the state continues to face shortages of hatcheries, cold storage and processing facilities.

· The study identifies substantial untapped potential in saline land across Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

8. ICRIER–Kotak Karma AIoT pilot project in Sirsa

· The pilot was implemented in collaboration with ICRIER, Kotak Karma Foundation, Aqua Exchange and local farmers.

· The project involved the deployment of automated feeders, PowerMon devices and aerator monitoring systems.

· The pilot ran for approximately 12 weeks.

· The automatic feeder recorded 97.8% uptime and dispensed approximately 4,786 kg of feed during the period.

· PowerMon generated 383 alerts during the production cycle, primarily identifying current-drop faults in an aeration line.

· The alerts enabled farmers to identify equipment problems through continuous monitoring rather than relying exclusively on periodic manual inspections.

Comparison of two ponds in the Sirsa pilot:

Particulars	Control pond (Pond 8)	AIoT pond (Pond 7)
Shrimp production	3,839 kg	4,810 kg
Feed consumption	5,500 kg	4,700 kg
Feed Conversion Ratio	1.43	0.98

· The AIoT-enabled pond produced approximately 25% more shrimp while consuming approximately 15% less feed than the control pond.

· Compared with the assumed industry FCR benchmark of 1.85, the AIoT pond required approximately 47.2% less feed.

· The pilot demonstrated the potential of precision feeding, automated monitoring and improved farm management.

9. Impact on farmers' income and profitability

One of the most important findings concerns the difference in annual net returns from conventional cultivation and shrimp farming.

Farming activity	Estimated net returns per acre annually
Wheat and cotton	₹0.56 lakh
Wheat and paddy	₹0.74 lakh
Conventional shrimp farming without AIoT	₹5.63 lakh
AIoT-enabled shrimp farming	₹10.40 lakh

· Conventional shrimp farming generates substantially higher returns than traditional crop cultivation in saline-affected areas.

· AIoT adoption further increases estimated annual net returns from ₹5.63 lakh to ₹10.40 lakh per acre.

· AIoT-enabled shrimp farming can generate approximately 14 times the returns from wheat-paddy cultivation and 19 times the returns from wheat-cotton cultivation.

· These figures are based on the pilot and associated farm-level estimates; the report cautions that the sample is not representative of the entire farming population.

10. Financing models to encourage technology adoption

The study recommends moving away from expensive upfront equipment purchases towards affordable technology-access models.

· Hardware-as-a-Service (HaaS): Farmers should be allowed to rent sensors, automatic feeders and monitoring equipment on a per-cycle or subscription basis.

· Digital cooperatives: Farmers can collectively share technology infrastructure and reduce individual investment costs.

· B2B2C financing: Input suppliers, technology companies and buyers can jointly provide equipment, credit and technical support.

· Pay-per-use models: Technology service providers can retain ownership of equipment and charge farmers according to actual usage.

· Data-backed lending: Digital farm records can help banks assess the creditworthiness of farmers who do not possess mortgageable land.

· Technology-linked insurance: Sensor data can help verify crop conditions, identify production risks and facilitate faster insurance claims.

The study argues that technology, credit and insurance should be developed as an integrated financial ecosystem.

11. Recommendations for the Government of India

The policy brief proposes a National AIoT Mission for Aquaculture, with Sirsa as a national demonstration cluster.

Its key recommendations include:

A. Financial and technology support

· Extend PMMSY subsidies specifically to AIoT sensors, automatic feeders, aerator controls and software subscriptions.

· Provide higher subsidy support to small farmers, tenant farmers, women, Scheduled Caste farmers and inland saline aquaculture operators.

· Extend financial assistance to both equipment purchases and rental arrangements.

· Link subsidy disbursement to verification of successful installation and functioning of equipment by a Technology Integration Manager.

B. Improve access to credit and insurance

· NABARD should introduce an Aquaculture Technology Finance window.

· Recognise AIoT-based Farm Risk Scores as an alternative to conventional land-based collateral for appropriate lending.

· IRDAI should support parametric aquaculture insurance with disease coverage.

· Use digital farm records to improve credit assessment and insurance claim verification.

· Increase formal credit access for tenant farmers operating on leased ponds.

C. Establish a digital disease surveillance system

· Create a shared early-warning network covering major shrimp clusters.

· Integrate AI-based disease surveillance with ICAR-CIBA diagnostic facilities.

· Use information from multiple ponds to identify emerging disease patterns.

· Establish a common digital data framework for monitoring farm performance.

D. Strengthen digital traceability and export compliance

· MPEDA should lead the National Aquaculture Traceability Platform (NATP).

· Establish digital traceability for every shrimp export consignment.

· Develop an EU Compliance Digital Platform integrating farm-level records, HACCP documentation, residue-limit compliance and environmental information.

· Adopt common data standards and open APIs to ensure farmers can transfer their records between different technology providers.

· Use verifiable production records to improve access to premium export markets.

E. Develop institutional and technical support

· Appoint Technology Integration Managers (TIMs) across the 34 PMMSY-notified aquaculture clusters.

· TIMs should coordinate technology providers, train farmers and verify data quality.

· Promote Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) as data cooperatives.

· Use PM-MKSSY financial support to strengthen farmer aggregation and collective bargaining.

F. Improve electricity efficiency and infrastructure

· Include power-management equipment in AIoT subsidy programmes.

· Encourage energy-efficient aerators and automated electricity monitoring.

· Develop cold storage, hatcheries, processing facilities and aquaculture parks.

· Use the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund, with its reported outlay of ₹7,522 crore, to strengthen supporting infrastructure.

12. Proposed National AIoT Mission: Targets for 2030

The policy brief proposes the following measurable targets:

Area	Proposed target
Production efficiency	Reduce national average FCR to below 1.5 within five years, from approximately 1.85.
Digital traceability	Ensure digital traceability of every shrimp export through NATP.
Disease surveillance	AI-assisted surveillance across all 10 major shrimp clusters.
Financial inclusion	Provide formal credit access to 60% of shrimp farmers, including tenant farmers.
Inland aquaculture	Bring 25,000 hectares of saline land in Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh under shrimp farming by 2030.

· MPEDA should lead the mission and operate NATP.

· NABARD should establish the financing framework.

· ICAR-CIBA should develop technical standards for AIoT applications in saline water.

· Sirsa should be designated as the National Demonstration Cluster, with the proposed ₹110-crore Aquapark serving as its hub.

· The study suggests scaling the existing AIoT model from an estimated 75,000 acres, representing approximately 25% of Indian shrimp farms, towards national coverage over five years.

13. Implementation roadmap: 2026–2030

The study proposes a phased implementation strategy:

Period	Key activities
Years 1–2	Establish NABARD financing guidelines, design NATP and common data standards, and appoint Technology Integration Managers.
Years 2–4	Expand AIoT subsidies, FPO incentives and disease surveillance across all 10 major shrimp clusters.
Years 4–5	Consolidate formal credit, insurance, traceability and inland aquaculture expansion targets.

· The implementation should primarily use existing government programmes, including PMMSY, PM-MKSSY, NABARD refinancing and MPEDA resources.

· CSR and philanthropic funding can support demonstration farms, initial equipment rentals, technical managers and farmer certification.

· The mission should remain platform-neutral, allowing multiple technology providers to compete under common standards rather than favouring a single private company.