Feeding and feed management of Indian major carps in Andhra Pradesh, India

In recent years, there has been a significant expansion in commercial pond carp culture in India. While much of this development has focused on Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana, commercial carp culture is gaining momentum in several other states such as Orissa, Karnataka and Tamilnadu. Indian major carps are also widely cultured across Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan, and reservoirs and other freshwater bodies are becoming increasingly important production areas. This study reviews the aquaculture of Indian major carps with special reference to current feeding and feed management practices in Andhra Pradesh, India. It also assesses management practices used under polyculture conditions with other species groups. It identifies constraints on Indian major carp production and characterises research and development needs. A variety of factors are examined in the study, including water sources, manures and fertiliser use, sources of finance and insurance, regulation, farming experience, mash feed ingredients, quality monitoring, feed types, storage, research, farmers' perceptions, consumption and wastage, fish growth, and production costs and net income.