India has vast scope to augment its seafood exports, and aquaculture production could be enhanced by using good quality seeds and following better management practices, said KN Raghavan, Chairman of the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA).

Speaking at the second edition of “India Tilapia Summit 2022, jointly organised by MPEDA and its R&D arm, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture, Raghavan, called for concerted efforts of all the stakeholders to achieve the seafood export target of ₹1 lakh crore from the current ₹57,587 crore.

International expert C V Mohan, Principal Scientist, WorldFish Centre, Malaysia, noted that Tilapia has the potential to contribute 8 per cent of the seafood export by 2025 and 14 per cent by 2030.

Later on, responding to farmers’ request to reduce the price of seed, MPEDA Chairman assured to provide GIFT Tilapia at ₹3.50 per seed from its Multi-Species Aquaculture Complex, Vallarpadam, considering the vast potential to enhance production and its exports.

Mineral source

Tilapia, according to experts, is packed with vitamins and minerals like choline, niacin, vitamin B12, vitamin D, selenium, and phosphorus. It has an excellent source of these minerals, as a single tilapia fillet covers 88 per cent of our daily value of selenium. The fish contains more omega 3 fatty acids and helps reduce blood clotting, cholesterol, and blood pressure.

Eating Tilapia is a great way to keep our bones healthy and has many nutrients such as Calcium, Vitamin D, Magnesium and Phosphorous. Hence, the experts recommended including Tilapia in the mid-day meal scheme for school children considering its nutritional value, thereby helping farmers to get reasonable profit and sustain their livelihood

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