Shrimp farmers and exporters in the State are worried. Japan, one of the major prawn importers, has recently rejected huge consignments claiming them unfit for consumption due to presence of antibiotics. This has come as a bolt from the blue for the shrimp farmers in Odisha who had suffered huge losses due to slashing of seafood prices, especially of export quality prawns, following recession in European market. Sources said at least 10 shipments from Eastern India have been sent back by Japan, which accounts for 25 per cent of the total shrimp exports from the State. While shrimps worth ` 606 crore, including ` 137 crore to Japan, were exported from Odisha in 2010-11, total exports in 2011-12 was around ` 793 crore which includes ` 177 crore to Japan. Japan’s Food Safety Commission’s new guidelines, announced recently, impose compulsory testing of shrimps for ethoxyquin and restriction on consignments from abroad if they have residue level of 0.01 ppm. Ethoxyquin is a quinoline-based antioxidant, used as an important ingredient in shrimp feeds. All Odisha Marine Fish Producers Association president Kameswar Narayan Praharaj said the countries like Japan were reluctant to buy shrimps from Eastern India citing presence of high dose of antibiotics. “We can’t comment about other states, but in Odisha we do not use antibiotics,” he said. Praharaj said the shrimp farmers of the State would be forced to stop shrimp farming if the government and the exporters do not resolve the crisis soon. “The farmers are already hit by the uneven price. They cannot even repay their loan if the exports are not streamlined,” he added. Odisha region president of Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI) Gorachand Mohanty, however, denied that Japan had returned back the consignments. He said Japan had started testing for ethoxyquin without providing any notice to exporters. “We have taken up the matter with the Japanese authorities and it will be sorted out soon,” he said. A Fisheries Department official said the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), which has been working for the promotion of seafood exports, had approached the Japanese authorities to reconsider their decision and allow imports of shrimps from the State.