International Journal of Agriculture Extension and Social Development

author(s)
Tejavath Jagadeesh, N Ganesh Naik and Mavurapu Anusha

abstract
Shrimp farming is a key subsector of Indian aquaculture which has seen a remarkable growth in the past decades and has a tremendous potential in future. The present study evaluates the production performance and technical efficiency of Vannamei shrimp farms across five major aquaculture districts of Andhra Pradesh—East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna, Prakasham, and Nellore—using Cobb-Douglas and Stochastic Frontier Production Function models. The analysis is based on cross-sectional farm-level data and investigates the impact of key inputs—seed, feed, chemicals, and labour—on shrimp output. The findings reveal that feed and seed are the most significant contributors to production in all districts, with feed showing the highest elasticity in West and East Godavari, and seed playing a dominant role in Nellore and Krishna. Chemicals contributed moderately to output, while labour was found to be statistically insignificant across all regions. Technical efficiency analysis shows that Nellore district exhibited the highest mean efficiency (93.21%), while East Godavari recorded the lowest (85.03%). The estimated gamma values ranged from 0.79 to 0.91, indicating that a substantial portion of output variation is attributable to technical inefficiency. The study concludes that while most farms operate close to the production frontier, there remains significant scope for enhancing productivity through better input use, farm management, and targeted interventions. Recommendations include promoting input optimization, strengthening extension services, and encouraging technology adoption to bridge the efficiency gap and ensure sustainable growth of shrimp aquaculture in Andhra Pradesh.