Seafood exporters in the state have decided not to purchase black tiger shrimp (aquaculture shrimp) from aqua farmers, who are not registered with the Coastal Aquaculture Authority of India or the Andhra Pradesh fisheries department. The move is aimed at meeting international standards.
“According to a recent notification of the Centre, we should mention the registration number on the export package of fresh, processed, frozen or chilled aqua cultured fish and fishery products else the importers will not accept the material,” V Padmanabham, president of the Seafood Exporters Association of India - Andhra Pradesh, told Business Standard.
Besides, this would help exporters avoid farms, which use antibiotic in black tiger shrimp. “Japan, the European Union, and the US do not accept material, which has antibiotic residues. As a result, every year shrimp containers worth crores get rejected and exporters have to suffer losses,” he added.
India exported 126,000 tonne of black tiger shrimp worth Rs 3,780 crore in 2008-09. Of this, about 70 per cent was exported from Andhra Pradesh, Padmanabham said. So far, 10,000 farmers in Andhra Pradesh have registered their farms.
