India’s Seafood Exports Gets Boost from Increasing Output

Mangalore: The consistent increase in the coastal aquaculture shrimp production to over 5 lakh tonnes in the last couple of years has boosted the seafood exports from India, according to Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) Chairman A Jayathilak.

The increase in the seafood exports has been made possible through the combined efforts of various stakeholders including farmers, feed manufacturers and hatchery operators whereas the surge in the production is largely due to the increase in the production of L. vannamei.

A Jayathilak was speaking at the inaugural function of the Aqua Aquaria India 2017, billed as the largest show in Asia focused on the aquaculture and ornamental fish sectors.

Speaking at the event Karnataka Fisheries Minister Pramod Madhwaraj called for an ambitious target of $10 billion for seafood export for 2020.

Indian seafood exports have been increasing considerably over the past five years with figures of $ 5.5 billion in 2014-15. The country comes lauded as the second largest aquaculture producer in the world, the largest exporter of shrimps to the US and the second largest exporter of shrimps to Europe.

Aquaculture accounts for almost 70 per cent of the total marine products export earnings of India.