The Hindu Business Line : Q1 seafood exports drop in value, volume

Kochi, Sept. 11 The country’s seafood exports fell by 14 and 16 per cent in value and quantity respectively, to Rs 1,431 crore and 94,059 tonnes, during the first quarter of the current fiscal.

This was partly due to the very poor fish landings along the Indian coastline, Mr G Mohan Kumar, Chairman of the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), said.

Three-pronged strategy

In order to counter this negative trend, MPEDA has prepared a Vision Document for the seafood industry and set an export target of $6 billion by the year 2015.

Seafood export realisation last year was $1.8 billion and is expected to surpass $2 billion this year.

Addressing a press conference in Kochi, Mr Mohan Kumar said the authority was adopting a three-pronged strategy for achieving long-term growth: increased exploitation of tuna resources, enhancing the share of value-added products and diversification of aqua products.

Extends assistance

As part of this strategy, MPEDA had extended technical and financial assistance for converting 47 fishing vessels into monofilament long lining system to enable them to catch tuna of high quality. Because of this, India’s tuna exports had increased by 88 per cent in 2006-07. For the first time, 758 tonnes of Sashmi grade tuna was exported which fetched a high unit value.

In addition, MPEDA has also hired the services of Mr George Skoutarides, a tuna long lining expert from Australia to train Indian fishermen in tuna lining and other onboard operations. He is also expected to assist the conversion of other fishing vessels into tuna long liners. These moves are expected to result in a quantum jump in exports of tuna products in the years to come, Mr Mohan Kumar said.

Promoting cage farming

In its bid to diversify its aqua-products, MPEDA has signed a MoU with Innovation Norway, a premier Norwegian agency for promoting cage farming in India’s coastal waters.

The company will assist MPEDA in setting up cage farming practices along the coastline and enable production of marine fin fish on a large scale. For a start, three pilot projects would be set up, two on the western coast along Maharashtra and Kerala and another one in the Andaman and Nicobar islands.

Poor fish landings

The project also has components like commercial development of cage farming, value addition and health management. There has been acute shortage of fish landings along the Indian coast during the recent past and this move would help bridge the raw material shortage, Mr Abraham Tharakan, President of the Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI) said.

It would not only help to sustain employment and generate revenue to a large number of fishermen who are otherwise unemployed during the period when there is total ban on trawling along the Indian waters. The scheme is expected to increase farming of fish like seabss, grouper, tilapia, catfish etc.

Branding exercise

For value addition, MPEDA has brought 29 items under food focus products scheme enabling the processors of these items to avail themselves of duty credit on the f.o.b. value of exports made the previous year.

Increased funds and focus will be extended to marketing strategies from this year onwards and attention would be on retail segments of the market. MPEDA has appointed Lintas Personal as its consultant and a brand equity campaign is to be launched soon.

There are moves to help small and medium-scale producers to access major retail markets through a system of co-branding. As part of the marketing exercise of the country’s unique seafood products, a major branding exercise would be launched for black tiger prawns and scampi.

As part of the marketing and branding exercise in the international arena, MPEDA will be organising the 16th International Seafood Show at Le Meridien in Kochi on February 8-10, 2008 in association with SEAI.

More Stories on : Aquaculture | Exports & Imports

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
NMCE launches new series of contracts

Guarseed futures gain on NCDEX

Q1 seafood exports drop in value, volume

Wheat import, at whose cost?

Nilgiris vying for floral market

Arecanut improves on import curbs

Lower stocks drive up spot rubber

Biofuels and food security

Vanaspati industry in a bad shape

Ministry cracks the whip on pan masala, gutkha units

Declining trend continues in pepper futures

GoM will discuss issue of bonds to fert sector

Rubber tappers are a hot commodity now