Saudi Arabia has lifted the ban on Indian seafood imports that had been in place for several years now.
“Delegations from the Health Department of Saudi Arabia had visited several processing units in the country and had also held discussions with Government officials before giving the green signal. The Export Inspection Agency has been mandated with inspecting and certifying Indian consignments destined for Saudi Arabia,” said Mr Anwar Hashim, President of the Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI).
Inspect & certify
The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia has written to the Ministry of External Affairs about lifting the ban on import of fish and other sea products, which include sea and farm products, and had requested that a reputed institution be assigned to inspect and certify all Indian seafood export consignments destined for Saudi Arabia.
Reduce costs
The lifting of the ban is expected to put to a halt to developing country exports under which Indian consignments used to be routed through a developing-country before the product finally landed in Saudi Arabia. This is expected to reduce the costs to both the exporter and the importer. It is also expected to boost both the low and high-end seafood product exports.
The large Indian Diaspora living in Saudi are expected to generate a new demand for low-end products such as sardines and mackerel, while the rich Saudi native population is expected to demand value added and high-end products such as shrimp and squid, Mr Hashim said.
The lifting of the ban has come at a most opportune time for the Indian seafood industry. It offers further diversification in both products and destinations to Indian seafood exports.
The initial indications are that major markets like the US is turning around for the better as far as the Indian marine exports are concerned. “Indian marine exports seem to have bottomed out in the past couple of years. And there is only one way that they are expected to move up,” Mr Hashim said.
Source : Business Line