Debunks reports of poor working conditions, safety standards
India is aiming to reach Rs 1 trillion in marine product exports in next two years by increasing its processing capacity and a shift to higher value added products, a senior official said Wednesday.
India’s exports of marine products were $8.09 billion (Rs 63,969 crore) in 2022-23 and in the April-February exports from the sector were down 7.5% on year to $ 6.8 billion. The decline in demand from the US and Europe which are the key markets.
Among marine products, shrimp exports have 67% share. The US is the single biggest market taking in $2.4 billion out of $ 5.6 billion worth of shrimp that left Indian shores.
The US imported 2,75,662 tonnes of frozen shrimp, followed by China at 1,45,743 tonnes. The overall export of frozen shrimps during 2022-23 was pegged at 7,11,099 tonnes.
Indian shrimp has 40% of the US market. A big chunk of Indian shrimp that makes its way to the US gets processed in Ecuador. India wants to do that processing locally to capture the higher value of exports.
There are around 1 lakh shrimp farms in India most of which are in Andhra Pradesh. A recent media report in the US had alleged poor working conditions and food safety standards in the shrimp farms of India. A similar report on Thailand’s shrimp industry in 2015 killed the dominance of Thai exports in the US market. Now the target is India.
The official said that all the shrimp farms that are involved in exports adhere to the standards which have been accepted by importers in the US. .
“The production and processing systems are regularly monitored by regulatory agencies in India and are subjected to audits by inspectors of the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration), European Commission, GAC of China, Export Inspection Agency, MPEDA, and scores of private and certification audits,” he added.
India has a robust regulatory framework for its 548 seafood units and it has set up world-class facilities in the fish processing sector, which are regularly inspected and monitored by various government agencies.
It said that all its units are registered with MPEDA (Marine Products Export Development Authority) and FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) and approved by EIC (export inspection council) as mandated by the law. Additionally, 46 independent pre-processing units are registered by the authority.
MPEDA also enrols aquafarms to bolster the traceability system of aquaculture products and adhere to national and international regulatory provisions, including Seafood Import Monitoring Programme (SIMP) of the US.
The pre-processing and processing units follow a HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point)-based food safety management system as per the US Code of Federal Regulations.
The official also said that to promote safety of products, the usage of pharmacologically active substances has been banned in aquaculture since 2002.
The national regulations and monitoring measures such as the National Residue Control Plan, ELISA screening labs, in-house labs, and pre-export checks ensure that the food safety hazards, including antibiotic residues, do not enter the product value chain and pose any consumer health risk.
Source:financialexpress.com