Kochi, Oct. 2 After moving from one crisis to another due to external factors in the last decade, the Indian seafood industry is today confronting the most challenging times in its history, Mr Anwar Hashim, President of the Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI), said.
Addressing the 39th AGM of SEAI, he said that there is a sharp decline in catch along both the East and West coasts due to over fishing and pollution of the coastal waters.
Moreover, India’s aquaculture efforts are entirely focused on black tiger shrimp species, which has been facing a sharp decline in demand due to the availability of low-cost vannamei shrimp in the international markets. Vannamei shrimp can be produced at almost half the cost of the black tiger and is almost as attractive in taste and looks.
With vannamei from China, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia flooding the global markets, demand and price of black tiger have dropped to all-time lows. The Indian shrimp culture industry is in turmoil and farmers are even averse to seeding their farms. There will be a drastic reduction in aquaculture production in the coming years unless a solution is found.
“But we are too important an industry to disappear, as lakhs of people are dependent on the sector,” Mr Hashim said. India’s coastal fishing communities are among the poorest in the world and they need to be given cage culture rights in our inland rivers and water-bodies so that they have an alternative livelihood during fishing ban periods.
Pragmatic policy needed
Also, the country needs to have a pragmatic deep sea fishing policy to exploit waters in its exclusive economic zone. Joint ventures in deep sea fishing, especially for tuna, with Indian seafood companies should be permitted as long as the catch is landed on Indian shores for processing and export.
Deep sea fishing is a very capital-intensive activity requiring a different fishing culture and expertise. Consequently, joint ventures are a necessity to make this operation commercially viable, SEAI said.
While the country has a climate ideally suited for aquaculture, proper focus and effort alone can ensure that India emerges as the second largest supplier of fish in the world.
Global demand up
Meanwhile, the world demand for fish is increasing year-on-year. The newly created National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) by the Ministry of Agriculture can become a principal plank to tap the demand. The NFDB must work closely with the MPEDA which has the experience, knowledge, and field organisation to achieve this, SEAI suggested.
The Fisheries Board must support the development schemes of the MPEDA and not work at cross purposes. The NFDB must now get its act together and work as effectively as the National Dairy Development Board, the model on which it was structured.
But the seafood industry pointed out that the Executive Board of the NFDB is manned entirely by civil servants and scientists with no representation from the aqua farming, the fishing or the processing and export sectors.
At present, these important stakeholders are represented only at the NFDB Advisory Board level. Only with effective policy changes by the Ministry of Agriculture and the State Governments, can the fisheries sector progress further and India emerge as an important global player.
It was the sheer grit of the small Indian seafood exporters and the consistent support of the Ministry of Commerce which made it into a $2-billion export industry. With the support of the Government and the persistence of all stakeholders, Mr Hashim had no doubt that the industry would survive the present turmoil and crisis.
Source : Business Line