In fishery sector, brackish water shrimp particularly that of Penaeus vannamei farming is gaining rapid attention on heavy demand both in domestic as well as in export markets. So, many entrepreneurs are venturing into this business. Despite the increasing growth of shrimp exports from developing countries in recent years, a high percentage of these products are rejected at developed countries because of non-compliance with international standards. To achieve eco-friendly and sustainable development of Penaeus vannamei farming, adoption of Better Management Practices (BMPs) is necessary. The area under Penaeus vannamei culture in West Bengal is 4, 127 ha and production of the shrimp in the year 2017–18 is 22, 191MT. The present study was undertaken in Purba Medinipur, the predominant shrimp farming district of the state. A total of 200 shrimp farmers were selected from the district by using simple random sanmpling method. Data were collected with the help of structured interview schedule with observation method. Majority (75%) of the shrimp farmers were having medium level of adoption on recommended package of practices, 19 per cent of their counterparts were having low level of adoption of the same and only 6 per cent of the farmers had high level of adoption towards BMPs of Penaeus vannamei farming practices. The adoption index of the study area was 61.68. Chi-square test revealed that age, caste, dependency ratio, share of the income from Penaeus vannamei farming, entrepreneurial behaviour were significantly associated with the adoption behavior of farmers towards BMPs.
Adoption index, BMPs, chi-square test, penaeus vannamei
