The ICAR-CIFA has signed MoU with the selected three-multiplier scampi hatcheries on October 4 2021. ICAR-CIFA  shall provide brood seed of ‘CIFA-GI Scampi’ to the selected hatcheries for brood raising and seed production in the upcoming season

CIFA has developed the selective breed of giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii registered as ‘CIFA-GI ScampiTM’.

India was a major producer of the Scampi till 2005; however since then use of poor-quality seed by the farmers resulted in smaller harvest size and low survival in grow out ponds and poor returns to the farmers, which led to the decline in the production. In order to revive the farming of scampi, the ICAR-CIFA) in collaboration with the WorldFish (an international research organisation headquartered in Malaysia) has started a systematic selective breeding programme for improving the growth rate of M. rosenbergii in 2007.The base population with wide genetic base for the selective breeding was formed using populations of scampi from three geographically distant locations in India (Gujarat, Kerala and Odisha). The new developed strain has got a registered trademark as ‘CIFA-GI Scampi’ in 2020.

Recently, the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India, through the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana sanctioned ICAR-CIFA with a central sector scheme on ‘Scaling up of genetic improvement programme of M. rosenbergii”. Under the project, ICAR-CIFA has selected three scampi hatcheries in Andhra Pradesh as multiplier units of the improved breed.

“It is expected that the selected scampi hatcheries will produce large quantities of improved seed ‘CIFA-GI Scampi’ for supply to farmers across India which in turn help in higher production and income for farmers,” said Director, ICAR-CIFA Dr Saroj Kumar Swain.