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Japan has lifted inspection order for Black Tiger among Indian cultured shrimp and its processed products after export consignments of this variety were found free from any residue of synthetic anti-bacterial drug furazolidone.
This has been conveyed by Food Inspection and Safety Division of Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) to Satya Pal Kumar, First Secretary (Trade), Embassy of India in Japan.
The MHLW has also reduced import inspection sampling frequency for Black Tiger (Penaeus monodon) shrimp to 30 per cent from the current 100 per cent. Black Tiger, commonly known as the giant tiger prawn or Asian tiger shrimp, is a popular seafood delicacy the world over and also forms an important segment of India’s marine products export basket.
In a letter to Diwarkar Nath Mishra, Director, Export Inspection Council of India (EICI), New Delhi, Kumar said, “We have been informed by the Japanese Department of Environmental Health and Food Safety, Ministry of Health and Labour that MHLW decided to lift inspection order only for Black Tigers among Indian cultured shrimp.”
The letter has also been addressed to KS Srinivas, Chairman, Marine Products Export Development Authority.
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Thumbs-up for Mpeda certification
Srinivas said, “It is a validation of certification system that Mpeda has launched for aquaculture. We recently launched the antibiotic-free certification system, called Shaphari, which guarantees quality shrimp post larvae (PL) and authenticates their quality in the competitive international market. It is an end-to-end solution that enables Mpeda to audit the PL shrimps offered by hatcheries across the country.”
He said the rigorous certification would enable aqua farmers to freely validate online that the post larvae’s shrimp offered by hatcheries across the country are antibiotic-free. The entire process has been designed to guarantee the cent-per-cent healthy products so as to boost marine products exports as well.
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Mpeda move
Mpeda has also been making sustained efforts to revive the production of Black Tiger shrimps by supplying its seeds from its new multispecies aquaculture complex at Vallarpadam in Kochi. “The new seeds have shown a rapidly growing interest among the farmers to raise the disease-free variety,” he said.
During 2019-20, India exported 12,89,651 tonnes seafood worth $6.68 billion. The US and China are the major importers. The exports to Japan during the period was 78,507 tonnes valued at ₹2,920 crore.
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