Sagar Mehra, Joint Secretary, Fisheries, has emphasised the importance of strengthening the seafood value chain through modern traceability systems to ensure safety and quality assurance of products in the context of growing international regulations.
The stakeholders across various levels from primary producers to exporters must actively participate in enhancing traceability, he said and cited the ongoing traceability initiatives under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), which aims to enrol primary producers, including those in aquaculture and capture fisheries to create a seamless traceability network.
Mehra was inaugurating a national workshop on Traceability for Fisheries Value Chains organised by the ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology in association with the Asian Fisheries Society Indian Branch.
He highlighted the role of institutions like ICAR and the Export Inspection Council in setting standards, providing training and developing relevant technologies.
Traceability’s utility
J K Jena, Deputy Director General (Fisheries), underscored how traceability is essential for boosting the global competitiveness of Indian fisheries products and for building consumer trust. He clarified that traceability is not limited to packaging; it encompasses every aspect of the value chain—including producers, distributors, retailers and consumers.
Dodda Venkata Swamy, Chairman, MPEDA, underlined the need for improving quality standards not just for exports but also for domestic markets.
The workshop brought together key stakeholders from various sectors — including government agencies, research institutions, regulatory bodies and the seafood industry — who emphasised the need to develop a national framework for the fisheries sector.
The workshop also signed a MoU between the Department of Fisheries, Uttarakhand, and CIFT to establish fish processing unit for value added fishery products in Uttarakhand.