Indian Seafood Exporters Seek Expansion Of Aquaculture Area
(MENAFN- KNN India)
Indian seafood exporters seek expansion of aquaculture area Kochi, June 7 (KNN)
The seafood exporters of India have called for the expansion of the
area under aquaculture and a level-playing field like Ecuador, Vietnam and Thailand.
Seafood Exporters' Association of India (SEAI) President Jagdish Fofandi emphasised on the need to create an ecosystem where aquaculture will flourish in the country.
“Indian industry should get a level-playing field like Ecuador, which has forged ahead in shrimp culture, and Vietnam and Thailand in terms of wild catch,” he said.
He said Ecuador was well entrenched in the US shrimp market, while Indian wild-caught shrimp had been banned in the country over the past four years.
Abraham Tharakan, a seafood industry veteran told The Hindu that Indian shrimp exports to the US used to be worth around USD 250 million in the past.
They were speaking to The Hindu on the sidelines of the two-day dialogue on fishery certification for achieving sustainable development goals in India.
The programme has the support and cooperation from SEAI, Sustainable Seafood Network of India, NITI Ayog, Marine Stewardship Council, and WWF.
Fofandi said the Indian seafood industry, despite handicaps including deceleration in the Japanese market, had crossed the USD 8 billion-mark during 2022-23.
He added that the demand for surimi (fish paste) from India in the Japanese market had slumped precipitously. This has had a big impact as Japan accounted for the bulk of surimi exports from India. Japan is no longer a major market for Indian seafood.
The seafood industry representatives also pointed out that a drop in catch had not been reflected in the market so far but called for expansion of area under shrimp aquaculture in the country.
(KNN Bureau)
MENAFN07062023000155011030ID1106408308
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.