Chennai, Apr 25 (IANS): Nagapattinam, the shrimp hub of Tamil Nadu, is facing heavy losses after a viral disease has led to the deaths of a large number of the crustaceans.

According to Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) officials, around 40 hectares of shrimp farming in Nagapattinam has been affected by the white spot disease.

The farmers are worried that if the shrimps die in large numbers and the news spreads, exports from the area would be affected as foreign buyers are very choosy in placing orders in markets that have shrimps dying in large numbers.

M.K. Murugan, a shrimp farmer who owns around two acres of farmland, told IANS: "In the past one month, A large number of shrimps died in my farm and adjacent farms leading to heavy losses. Our entire livelihood is connected with shrimp farming and I have to overcome this and have already approached MPEDA for a solution and are working on it."

Shrimp farming is done mainly in the coastal area between Nagore and Kodiyakarai in Nagapattinam district.

According to aqua farmers, MPEDA has been surveying the losses of the farmers after the white spot attack has taken place.

The farmers have been advised to chlorinate the ponds to curb the spread of the disease.

The disease is fluid-borne, according to officials of the MPEDA, but birds also account for spreading the disease by picking an affected shrimp from one farm and dropping it into the other.

Sources in the industry told IANS that losses in 40 hectares of farm would amount to losses of crores of rupees to the shrimp farmers.

Aqua farmers in the district have petitioned the Tamil Nadu government through the district collector and also MPEDA authorities to bring up a solution to the white spot disease that was leading to the death of several shrimps and thereby huge losses to the farmers.