• Investment World
• eWorld
• Catalyst
• Mentor
• Life
• Canvas
• Praxis
• Urban Pulse
• Brand Quest

Our Bureau

KOCHI, Oct. 17

THE Ministry of Commerce today revoked the suspension orders against five major seafood units across the country. The suspension orders directing immediate stoppage of production and export had been issued on September 24.

The units are the Hindustan Lever plant in Chorward, Gujarat; International Creative Foods, Vashi, Navi Mumbai; Choice Canning Company, Kochi; Integrated Rubian, Aroor; and Victoria Marines, Chennai. These five units process only value-added products.

In addition, the Ministry also restored the status quo position of 17 export houses that had been placed on `compulsory consignment inspection' of goods before export. These units together had a total export potential of around Rs 1,500 crore per annum.

"The suspension was never a permanent measure. We had to prove to the EU that we had taken constructive steps. Once we were confident that exporters were on the right track, it was only a matter of time," Mr K. Jose Cyriac, Chairman, Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), said.

The decision follows a meeting of the exporters with a delegation from the Commerce Ministry. Mr L.V. Saptharishi, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Mr V.P.C. Sastry, Joint Secretary, Mr K. Jose Cyriac, Chairman, MPEDA, Ms Shashi Sareen, Director, Export Inspection Council, were part of the delegation.

The seafood industry was represented by Mr A.J. Tharakan, President, Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI)-Kerala region, Mr Elias Sait, All-India President, SEAI, and Mr T. Raghunath Reddy, President, Andhra Pradesh region, among others.

The meeting also chalked out a complete road map or plan of action, to be implemented within a month.

To start with, it was decided to commence an awareness programme on monitoring the usage and testing of the presence of antibiotics in farms and hatcheries.

It was also decided that about 25 laboratories would be set up in the coastal States within the next 3-6 months. These laboratories would be equipped to test the shrimps for the presence of antibiotics at the level and according to the methods prescribed by the EU Health Authorities.

Given that the State Governments have more control over their farmers, a programme is being worked out with the respective State fisheries departments to upgrade the fishing jetties and the landing centres to international standards or as specified by various health authorities.

"In fact the Tamil Nadu Minister for Fisheries, in our meeting with him, agreed to set aside a certain sum towards this project under the ASIDE scheme. Our next stop is Andhra Pradesh where we propose to meet with the Chief Minister and other officials in order to enforce this in AP also," a source said.

The seafood exporters also made a request that till such time the infrastructure for testing of antibiotics in shrimps and a law banning usage of antibiotics in the marine sector were put in place, no action should be taken against the processors for detection of antibiotic residue in the product.

Official sources present at the meeting, however, said that while no such formal undertaking was given, the circumstances and background of the export consignment would be kept in mind before any action is initiated.

It was also decided that a law would be put in place after discussions with the Union Government authorities concerned and the respective State governments to effectively ban the usage of antibiotics in aquaculture, including hatcheries and farms and also the other segments of the marine products industry.

"This will, however, take time. It is a long-drawn process. As regards regulation we met with hatchery owners and our aim would be towards more effective regulation," an official present at the meeting said.

The five seafood units were suspended from production and export by the Export Inspection Agency (EIA) because they have had more than one rejection in the current fiscal. The rejections in the EU were mainly for antibiotic traces in their consignments during the period of May-July this year when the EU first started testing for antibiotics.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail
Comment on this article to BLFeedback@thehindu.co.in

Stories in this Section
1942 — A buyback story

Copyright © 2002, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line