Seafood exporters to do origin tracking for reviving trade

Marine food exporters have decided to adopt an elaborate monitoring system for firms, growers, and wholesalers of raw materials to ensure traceability of products. This would help exporters secure higher price for the produce in export markets, seafood exporters said.

The scheme, being introduced for the first time in India in West Bengal, will be implemented by the state's chapter of Seafood Exporters' Association of India (SEAI), the apex national body of marine product exporters.

SEAI would employ 40 inspectors to man 40,000 hectares of land under cultivation in the state for marine products.

The cost of implementing the scheme would be around Rs 3 per kilogram of produce, or 2-3 per cent of the present cost of production.

The cost will be borne by the exporters who are hoping to rake in better unit value for their products in overseas markets.

"Indian products fetch 10 per cent less on unit value vis-à-vis products from competing countries. With the traceability of products in place, exporters will be able to eliminate this gap. As a result, exporters will gain considerably even after footing the bill for monitoring the source," an exporter said.

Farms in West Bengal accounted for 10 per cent of India's total export of Rs 6,700 crore. The export basket of marine products consisted of black tiger shrimp and fresh water prawn (scampi). The traceability factor will enable the association to respond to any complaints by overseas buyers.

Indian exporters found themselves deep in trouble in 2002 over presence of antibiotic residues in seafood sent overseas. A large number of export shipments was cancelled.

With the monitoring system in place, exporters would be able to locate the source of contamination in no time and stop exports from it. This would ensure goods from other areas would still be accepted.

The association has asked firms, growers, and wholesalers of products to register themselves with SEAI. Exporters have been advised not to buy products from any unregistered producer.

SEAI was trying to set up local laboratories so that products could be tested promptly for any possible contamination.

Contamination caused by presence of antibiotics was a threat hanging over the marine food industry. Drugs were used indiscriminately by some growers for combating disease and as a growth driver. The effort to curb random use had not worked at all.

Exporters said India's marine food exports was already in focus globally because it was facing an anti-dumping investigation in the United States.

The sector would gain immensely if the experiment was replicated in other parts of India as it would restore confidence in Indian products.

The monitoring system will be able to arrest the overall decline in unit price of the products to some extent, which the US move may result in.