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VIJAYAWADA: Aquaculture is often described as one of India’s most unpredictable industries. Success hinges on factors that are largely beyond a farmer’s control: water quality, disease outbreaks, fluctuating feed prices, volatile global shrimp markets and changing weather patterns. Even the most experienced farmers have seen fortunes vanish overnight, while many newcomers fail to survive their first few crop cycles.

Yet, amid these uncertainties, one woman from Andhra Pradesh has not only embraced the challenges but has also excelled in an industry where even seasoned farmers often struggle. Meet Krishna Sri Kotikalapudi, an Electrical Engineering graduate who chose an unconventional path and has emerged as a successful aquaculture entrepreneur, breaking stereotypes and inspiring a new generation of farmers, especially women.

Based in Akividu of West Godavari, Krishna Sri is actively involved in a shrimp farming partnership spanning nearly 800 acres. Among these, she personally monitors and manages 105 acres, taking responsibility for every critical aspect of cultivation. “Entering the aquaculture field as a woman was difficult initially, but I kept moving forward by facing each problem and learning along the way. From the outside, aquaculture may appear easy, but there are many challenges at the ground level. I have turned the struggles I faced into my strength. Meantime my husband, Kotikalapudi Madan Kumar, has always supported and encouraged me whenever I wanted to try something new, she added. From pond preparation and water quality management to feed selection, shrimp growth monitoring, regular sampling, harvesting, de-veining and marketing, Krishna Sri believes that success lies in personally understanding every stage of production.