Marine exporters, especially from the west coast, are worried a lot as shrimp containers are detained at South African ports for detection of cholera bacteria in consignments from India.
Sources said, about 100 containers are detained at the South African ports. The cost of shipment is pegged at around $3000- $4000 per container.
Though SA accounts for only one to two per cent of Indian shrimp exports, it is a focus market for the exporters.
"We are trying to find out what is the problem. In fact, a team is going from India to South Africa to identify whether the protocols of testing are followed. The team will comprise of officials of Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA ) and Export Inspection Council," said A Jayathilak, MPEDA Chairman.
Officials maintained that there has been no presence of bacteria in the test done here and South Africa is following some other methods of testing.
The issue was seriously discussed at the 20th edition of the India International Seafood Show (IISS) held at port city Visakhapatnam recently.
The development has added to the woes of the exporters at a time when European Union has tightened the norms for inspection of aquaculture products from India intended for human consumption.
As per the revised norms, member states shall, by using appropriate sampling plans, ensure that official samples are taken from at least 50 per cent of consignments presented for import at border inspection posts on their territory. The sample percentage was 10 per cent earlier.
The amendment in testing norms by EU has been adopted after the results of analytical tests undertaken by official control laboratories demonstrated that the level of compliance of aquaculture products from India with regard to presence of residues of chloramphenicol, tetracycline, oxytetracycline, chlortetracycline and metabolites of nitrofurans is unsatisfactory.
