Chennai, Feb. 1 Kripan Sarkar, hailing from the remote Rani Nagar village in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district was earning Rs 40,000 a month selling ornamental fish. But in the last two months, he has earned Rs 4 lakh by supplying Angel and Guppy variety ornamental fish, used in aquariums, to an exporting firm.
The success stories of persons like Mr Sarkar are beginning to gain limelight with the “Rainbow Revolution” of the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) gathering pace.
In fact, Mr Sarkar, who was once a teacher in mathematics in a private school in Nepal, airlifts the fish consignment to Chennai where the export firm Jodi Fisheries Pvt Ltd has farms in suburban Kundrathur.
Jodi Fisheries has been founded by Mr Joseph Itzkovich, an Israeli, and Mr Didier Gendre, an Italian, whose earlier three generations have a strong foundation in ornamental fishing.
Jodi Fisheries plans to set up an Aqua Technology Park in Manimangalam in Tamil Nadu, says Mr Kuruvilla Thomas, Director (Marketing), MPEDA. Plans are also afoot to set up a similar park near Kochi.
European market
“Units trading in ornamental fish are coming up following a detailed study conducted by UNCTAD. There are nearly 2,000 breeders of exotic ornamental fish producing 100 million fish,” Mr Thomas says, adding that initial plans are to increase the production to 500 million by increasing the breeders to 7,200.
Mr Gendre says varieties such as Angel and Guppy are in great demand in Europe. “The Angel variety known as Badis Bengalenses which is red in colour is an Indian native with excellent genetic quality. It is a wild fish that has great export scope,” he says.
Jodi Fisheries is exporting 300 cartons of 500 fish each a month. Each carton is reported to cost €150.
What Jodi Fisheries does is it stocks up fish sent by persons such as Mr Sarkar, grow them up a little more and export. There are a few units that are attached to Jodi Fisheries and all have to conform to the norms stipulated by the Israeli-French duo.
“There is demand for the transparent pink of the angel variety. But we don't have the capacity to meet the demand,” Mr Gendre says.
Wild fish
In Europe, there is a demand for one million fish a year of the transparent pink. But there are hardly three or four units that produce this variety.
Mr Thomas says ornamental fish sector is currently dependant on wild fish caught in remote places with the Western Ghats, the North-East and Uttar Pradesh being the places where the fish is got.
“Currently, ornamental fish exports are around Rs 5.5 crore. But there is potential to increase it manifold,” Mr Thomas says.
Mr Gendre agrees with the views of Mr Thomas. “No doubt, there is great export potential with the variety of wild fish that is available. But breeders will have to follow international norms. Your domestic industry is at a nascent stage. It has to mature. Then, you will see the benefits pouring in,” he says.
“But there are certain things the Indian Government can do,” says Mr Gendre. For example, one of the problems faced by the exporters is Customs clearance. Each consignment will have to be cleared by a veterinarian.
“There is only one airline that lifts our consignment and it takes off around 2 a.m. But as we have to get the Customs clearance, we have to check in quite early to get the veterinarian approval,” Mr Gendre. “This affects the fish that have to be tranquilised for exports,” he says.
Officials are hopeful that things will fall in place once the volume game in ornamental fish exports begins.
Source : Business Line