Efforts to bring the dying aquaculture sector back onto the rails through an alternative to the virus hit tiger variety shrimp has been facing stiff opposition from aqua farmers across the coast. The Union government had allowed select hatcheries to conduct trials on white shrimp known as L.Vannamei about five years ago when tiger shrimp was plagued by various problems including a poor market rate. The Government also organised the supply of specific pathogen free (SPF) brooders (mother shrimp) from Hawaii in the US to BMR hatcheries and Sarath sea foods in Nellore district to conduct the trial. Aqua farmers have several apprehensions over Vannamei and are not keen on the variety. Some farmers destroyed ponds where the Vannamei trials are in progress in Indukurpeta mandal of Nellore district recently. The aqua farmers welfare association honorary president, Mr Samanthu Gopal Reddy, said that scientists had expressed contradictory opinions on Vannamei, especially with regard to virus problems. "Many farmers feel that this culture will only help seed, feed and processing units and not the farmer,' Mr Gopal Reddy said. He said that only wealthy farmers would be able to opt for the culture. "Thailand is also trying to control the Vannamei culture in the wake of some problems,' Mr Gopal Reddy said. Contrary to the opinion of farmers, the BMR hatcheries chairman, mr B. Mastan Rao advised farmers to opt for Vannamei, referring to the acceptance for the product in the international market. Speaking to this newspaper on Tuesday, he allayed fears over virus problems, stressing that Vannamei was the only shrimp for which disease free brooders (mother shrimp) were developed in a laboratory in Hawaii after decades of research. He said that scientists could not produce the tiger variety in the lab though research was going on since a long time. There was no market for tiger variety either at home or abroad, he added. He said that the ministry of agriculture was impressed with the trials conducted over the last five years and in favour of commercial production with some restrictions. Representatives of farmers, hatcheries, export and processing firms reacted positively to commercial production of Vennamei during a meeting organised by the ministry of agriculture at Chennai on May 19. The joint secretary of agriculture, Mr Tarun Sridharan, and officials from the Central Institute of Brackish Water, MPEDA and several scientists took part in the meeting. The coastal aquaculture authority is to hold a meeting on May 29 at Chennai to finalise guidelines for commercial production from this year, said Mr Mastan Rao.