CHENNAI: A three-day international ornamental aquatic event, organised by Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), will begin at YMCA, Vepery in north Chennai on Friday. The third edition of Indaquaria 2010 is being organised in collaboration with ornamental fish international (OFI), the Netherlands.
The show, to be inaugurated by Prof KV Thomas, Union minister of state for agriculture, consumer affairs, food & public distribution, will have technical and business sessions and buyer-seller meet along with an exhibition . Its main objective is to provide ornamental fish breeders an opportunity to interact with experts and know the latest
technologies in production and marketing.
It will also provide a platform for breeders, exporters and importers to interact, hunt for fresh orders and showcase the developments in the domestic ornamental fish sector. The target groups will also include academicians working in the related fields. The move by MPEDA will help initiate export-oriented rural employment through different marketing units.
Domestic ornamental fish export is mostly dependent on the main collection areas like Western Ghats (Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka), the North East, West Bengal and parts of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Exports increased from Rs 3.2 crore in 2001-02 to Rs 5.43 crore in 2008-09 — much less than other developing countries involved in the trade.
Lack of a vibrant production base for export-quality ornamental fish, high domestic price due to lack of supply , high air freight cost, among others , are some of the major factors affecting the export growth in this sector . This year, export has shown a substantial rise of 44% up to November . Major markets for ornamental fish are Singapore, Japan, the US, Germany and Hong Kong.
Source : THe Economic Times