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MPEDA to focus on ornamental fish export

Our Bureau

VISAKHAPATNAM, Feb. 8

THE country's seafood export basket is all set to acquire a new splash of colour, with Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) laying the groundwork for increased export of ornamental fish.

According to Mr K. Jose Cyriac, MPEDA Chairman, efforts are on to enter the global ornamental fish market in a big way by tapping the resources within the country.

``Our ornamental fish export this fiscal has been Rs 1.65 crore, as against Rs 1.07 crore during the first nine months of last financial year. Although this is a good jump, the level of exports of this category of fish is poor, given the potential we hav e,'' he told reporters on Thursday.

As the first step, MPEDA plans to tap the ornamental fish potential in fresh water ponds in the North-Eastern States. ``We have opened a cell in MPEDA to handle this segment and we will shortly be opening an office in the North-East sector to exclusivel y facilitate ornamental fish export,'' he said.

Mr Cyriac said MPEDA was also facilitating the setting up of an aquarium fish park in Chennai. ``Experts from Info Fish, an inter-governmental agency under FAO, visited Chennai three weeks ago and will shortly be giving us their report. What we have in mind is to create the infrastructure and invite entrepreneurs to set up ornamental fish breeding units in the park,'' he pointed out.

Mr Cyriac was optimistic about the total marine products exports this fiscal. With the total exports in the first nine months crossing the Rs 5,000-crore mark, MPEDA expects to end the fiscal with a export turnover of Rs 6,000 crore, against Rs 5,117 cro re last year.

``For the second year in succession, we will be the biggest exporter of seafood to Japan,'' he said.

He attributed the ``spectacular'' increase in exports to the growth in the US market and the increased production from the aquaculture sector. During the nine-month period, the US imported seafood worth $206 million, recording a 66 per cent increase. Th e unit value realisation of shrimp also went up by 16 per cent from $7.98 to $9.24 per kg.

The aquaculture sector, he said, contributed 85,000 tonnes of shrimp to the export basket. ``We are currently exploiting hardly 15 per cent of our potential in the aquaculture sector. I am confident that this can go up to three lakh tonnes within three y ears.''