Seafood

Govt designates CMFRI as Centre of Excellence for seaweed cultivation

The Department of Fisheries under the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying has designated the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute as a Centre of Excellence for seaweed cultivation. The regional centre of Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) at Mandapam in Tamil Nadu will serve as a hub for research, development, training and capacity building in seaweed cultivation. "The centre will promote sustainable seaweed farming practices and address key challenges in the area with an aim to enhance India's role in the global seaweed industry," CMFRI said in a release. Dr Grinson George, Director of CMFRI termed this development as a crucial step in unlocking the country's potential in seaweed cultivation. "The centre will focus on several key areas, including works on improving seaweed cultivation techniques and addressing challenges," he said. The release said a seed bank will be established to maintain the genetic diversity of indigenous .

Vizag beats Mumbai port; emerges as India's top seafood exporting gateway

Visakhapatnam Port emerged as India's top seafood exporting gateway, clocking an impressive shipment of 3.14 lakh tonnes, valued at Rs 17,984 crore in fiscal 2023-24, a port official said on Monday. Mumbai-based Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), which handled over 2.4 lakh tonnes of seafood, valued at Rs 6,396 crore is ranked behind the Visakhapatnam port, followed by Cochin Port at the third position, logging over 1.81 lakh tonnes (Rs 6,120 crore). "Visakhapatnam Port has established itself as the premier port in India for marine product shipments, handling an impressive 3,14,199 tonnes of seafood valued at Rs 17,984 crore in FY24. This achievement positions Visakhapatnam Port at the forefront of the nation's seafood export sector," said Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA) secretary T Venu Gopal in a press release. According to Venu Gopal, India's seafood exports touched an all-time high of nearly 18 lakh tonnes in the previous fiscal, worth Rs 60,534 crore. Incidentally, thi

India has robust regulatory framework for seafood units: Commerce min

India has a robust regulatory framework for its 548 seafood units and it has set up world-class facilities in the fish processing sector, which are regularly inspected and monitored by various government agencies, the commerce ministry said on Saturday. The statement comes in the backdrop of some reports alleging food safety and bad labour conditions in the Indian shrimp industry. It said that all its units are registered with MPEDA (Marine Products Export Development Authority) and FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) and approved by EIC (export inspection council) as mandated by the law. Additionally, 46 independent pre-processing units are registered by the authority. The shrimp hatcheries and aquaculture farms are registered with the Coastal Aquaculture Authority (CAA) and State Fisheries Departments based on their respective locations. MPEDA also enrols aquafarms to bolster the traceability system of aquaculture products and adhere to national and internationa

India's annual per capita fish consumption jumps 81% during 2005-21

India's annual per capita fish consumption increased to 8.89 kg in 2021 from 4.9 kg in 2005, indicating changes in dietary mix driven by higher income and rising prosperity, according to a study. Among fish-eating populations, per capita annual fish consumption increased from 7.43 kg to 12.33 kg, an increase of 4.9 kg (66 per cent). The study was conducted by WorldFish, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in association with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and other government bodies. The timeframe for this study was 2005-2006 to 2019-2021. During the 2005-2021 period, the country's fish production jumped over twofold to 14.164 million tonnes, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.63 per cent. Out of the total fish output, the domestic consumption of fish accounted for 82.36 per cent in 2005-2006, 86.2 per cent in 2015-2016 and 83.65 per cent in 2019-2020. The rest was used for non-food purposes and exports. The study noted that the

3rd batch of Release of treated water from Fukushima ends safely: operator

The release of a third batch of treated radioactive wastewater from Japan's damaged Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean ended safely as planned, its operator said on Monday, as the country's seafood producers continue to suffer from a Chinese import ban imposed after the discharges began. Large amounts of radioactive wastewater have accumulated at the nuclear plant since it was damaged by a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011. It began discharging treated and diluted wastewater into the ocean on August 24 and finished releasing the third 7,800-ton batch on Monday. The process is expected to take decades. The discharges have been strongly opposed by fishing groups and neighbouring countries including China, which banned all imports of Japanese seafood, badly hurting Japanese producers and exporters of scallops and other seafood. The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, said the third release, like the two previous ones, went smoothly and marine sampl

Inland fish production up over 2-fold in 9 yrs to 13.1 mn tonnes: Minister

Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister Parshottam Rupala on Thursday said the country's inland fish production has more than doubled in the last nine years to 131 lakh tonnes on the back of government's initiatives to boost this sector. The minister also highlighted that the Modi government has announced an investment of around Rs 38,000 crore under various programmes in the last nine years. Addressing a press conference here, Rupala announced that a 'Global Fisheries Conference India 2023' is being organised in Ahmedabad from November 21-22 to discuss immense potential as well as challenges in the sector. The deliberation will help in preparing a future roadmap for this sector. The minister said more than 5,000 people are expected to attend this conference from across the world. He informed that embassies of more than 50 countries have been invited along with global organisations like FAO, World Bank and ADB. Stakeholders, including fishers and fish farmers, engaged in

Low-income nations risk 30% seafood nutrient loss to climate change: Study

Low-income countries could lose up to 30 per cent of nutrients from seafood due to climate change, researchers say in a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. These findings about the loss of nutrients, including calcium, iron, protein and omega-3 fatty acids, were valid in a high emissions and low mitigation scenario, the researchers from the University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada, said. The nutrient loss may be restricted to 10 per cent, however, should the world meet the Paris Agreement targets of limiting global warming to 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius, they said. "Low-income countries and the global south, where seafood is central to diets and has the potential to help address malnutrition, are the hardest hit by the effects of climate change," said first author William Cheung, professor and director of the UBC Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries (IOF). The researchers used predictive climate models on historical fisheries and seafood farming databases to ma

CMFRI to strengthen sustainable harvest of selected trawl fishery in Kerala

In major attempt to boost seafood export, ICAR-CMFRI will provide technical support for strengthening the sustainable harvest of 11 selected shrimp and trawl fishery resources in Kerala

S Korea dismisses chances of lifting Japan Fukushima seafood import ban

S Korea's current ban on imports of seafood from Japan's Fukushima area will remain in place regardless of Tokyo's planned release of contaminated water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant

Seafood exports up 4.31% to $8.09 bn in 2022-23, on jump in shrimp trade

India's seafood exports rose by 4.31 per cent to USD 8.09 billion in 2022-23 on account of a jump in the shipments of frozen shrimp, the commerce ministry said on Wednesday. In volume terms, the exports increased to 17,35,286 tonnes in the last fiscal against 13,69,264 tonnes in 2021-22. "Frozen shrimp remained the major export item in terms of both quantity and value while USA and China turned out to be the major importers of India's seafood," it said. Frozen shrimp exports increased to USD 5.48 billion in 2022-23. The sector accounts for about 41 per cent of India's total seafood exports in volume terms. The US is the largest market of frozen shrimp, followed by China, the European Union, South East Asia, Japan, and the Middle East, the ministry said. The other segments which recorded a healthy growth in exports include black tiger, shrimp, frozen fish, frozen octopus, canned products, and frozen lobster. It added that the US continued to be the major importer of Indian seafood

Qatar lifts temporary ban on import of frozen seafood from India

The ban was imposed last year in November just ahead of the FIFA World Cup following the alleged detection of Vibrio cholera from a few consignments from India

Centre aims at almost doubling seafood exports to $14 billion by 2025

The Centre is aiming at nearly doubling seafood exports to USD 14 billion by 2025, a Union minister said on Wednesday. Seafood exports are showing a positive trend this fiscal with three per cent growth in volume, she said. "In 2021-22, the (seafood) exports figure was worth USD 7.76 billion, which was 17 per cent of our agriculture shipments. We have a target to achieve USD 14 billion by 2025," Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Anupriya Patel said. She was speaking here at the inauguration of the India International Seafood Show 2023. India's commitment towards safe and sustainable seafood production for export will lead the way for enhancing foreign direct investment, thereby contributing to the Make in India' initiative, Patel said. "We are also proceeding in a favourable manner with our Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with different important-export destinations. "India, today, has become one of the most preferred and one of the very big seafood baskets for the w

Kolkata to host International Seafood Show, with focus on G20 countries

Kolkata will host the India International Seafood Show 2023, which will feature a buyer-seller meet with a particular focus on G20 countries, organisers said on Tuesday. The three-day event organised by the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) in association with the Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI) will commence on Wednesday. The Show assumed significance as the Indian seafood sector needs to regain buoyancy in the post-pandemic phase in the face of stiff global competition and a stringent inspection regime imposed by the European Union and Japan on shrimp consignments. European Union and Japan are members of G20. According to M Karthikeyan, director of MPEDA, around 5,000 delegates from India and other countries are expected to attend the event. MPEDA officials said Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) would promote fish production, thereby increasing the availability of marine products for export. Further, the Production Linked Incentive Sc

TenderCuts launches new platform HappyChops for local meat outlets

Platform empowers local meat shops with latest tech and robust supply chain; has on-boarded 100 shops in Chennai, plans to rope in another 300 by March, expand to 10 more cities by June

D2C meat brand Pescafresh to expand presence in Bengaluru, Gurugram

Will set up processing units conforming to HACCP and FSSAI standards at both locations by November

US government to nearly double temporary visas for non-agricultural jobs

Twenty thousand of the H-2B visas will be granted to workers from the Central American countries of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala as well as Haiti

Distress in Singapore as Malaysia bans chicken export to curb rising prices

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced last week that, beginning June 1, Malaysia will ban exports of 3.6 million chickens a month until domestic prices and production stabilize.

Meat and seafood brand TenderCuts opens first all-women store in Chennai

The store was an extension of TenderCuts' vision to enable all shoppers, especially women, to step into meat or fish buying experience, a press release said

A meaty opportunity for e-commerce industry in India amid Covid-19

Online meat and fish delivery companies see big potential in the growing consumer appetite for hygienic, home-delivered fresh produce

Did Covid-19 come from Wuhan seafood market? Investigators find fresh clues

Worldwide, Covid-19 has caused more than 105.7 million infections and 2.3 million deaths