Present Status, Constraints and Potentials of Mud-crab Culture in West Bengal

Abstract

Background: Mud crab (Scylla serrata) farming offers better prospects for all sections of rural people, particularly those who have a poor land base and an abundant labour force. It offers reliable incomes to both small and large farming operations, but there are several barriers to crab farming that limit its potential. Methods: The present study was conducted in three randomly selected villages of Gosaba block in the South 24-Parganas district of West Bengal, which has the highest concentration of crab farmers. Three villages from the Lahiripur Gram Panchayat area of Gosaba block were selected by simple random sampling without replacement technique. A total of 60 crab farmers were randomly selected for the present study. Data were collected with the help of a specially constructed structured interview schedule and non-participant observational technique. Result: The findings of the study showed that the majority (61.67%) of the respondents practiced traditional crab culture techniques and 83.33 per cent preferred the November-February months of the year as an ideal time for crab farming. A good number of respondents (68.33%) reported that they collected seeds from wild sources, i.e., swamps and deserted water bodies. It was conspicuous from the present study that the majority of the respondents used Puntias sp. as supplementary feed. The major diseases of crabs in the study area were ulcers on carapace, necrosis of appendages and fungal diseases and they applied lime and potassium permanganate (KMnO4) to get rid of these diseases. Lack of crab seeds emerged as a prime constraint, followed by marketing problems, transport problems, credit problems and problems related to diseases.