Seafood exporters upset at fishing rights for Thailand

Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI) has expressed concern over the reported move of the Union Ministry of Agriculture to permit joint ventures between Thai and Indian companies to operate large and medium fishing vessels in the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

In a memorandum submitted to Union agriculture minister Rajnath Singh and to Union minister of commerce Arun Jaitley, the association has said that "if such large deep sea fishing vessels from Thailand are permitted to operate in Indian waters, there will be almost total depletion in the immediate future of whatever deep sea resources we have".

SEAI said Indian seafood factories had surplus processing capacity and lately there has been a dramatic drop in catches during the last four years due to lack of a focused and stringent conservation policy.

"The Thai vessels will fish in our waters and take the catch to Thailand factories for processing as well as value addition and export. Consequently, permitting these vessels to operate in our EEZ for sourcing raw material for overseas factories is against our national interest," it added.

Urging the Centre to abandon the idea of a joint fishing venture with Thailand in Indian EEZ for sourcing raw material for overseas factories, SEAI said, "Today the seafood industry in India has world-class factories as well as competitively priced skilled labour and we are attempting to make India an international seafood processing centre. Permitting foreign vessels to operate in our waters and take away our raw material will only destroy our existing international competitive advantage and diminish the growth of the Indian seafood industry."