India: Fisherman Should Start Tuna Longliningff

Fish products exporters need not worry over fall in seafood exports to the United States, which had slapped anti-dumping duty on Indian seafood exports, as they had other markets which offered them ample lucrative business, according to the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA). 

However, exporters should concentrate more on value addition to products and not just sell raw goods, and should also focus on diversification, MPEDA marketing director K Thomas said here today. 

Speaking at a workshop organized by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), MPEDA and the Seafood Exporters Association of India on ''Strategies and preparedness of the trade and globalization in India with regard to fisheries sector'', he said exporters should focus on bettering quality, expand aquaculture base, switch to tuna long liners and do more value addition process. 

The country had seafood-processing capacity of 11,250 million ton, of which only 20 per cent was being used now. Raw material should be imported for processing. 

Mr. Thomas expressed regret over slow growth in exports over the last ten years. In 1994 it was 1000 million USD and last year it had risen only to a disappointing 1400 million USD. Of this, it was exporting 23.4 per cent to the US and 27 per cent to the EU. 

AP Principal Secretary (Fisheries) S Chellappa said exporters should tap the huge potential of the domestic market rather than ignoring it.

UNCTAD representative Abhijit Das spoke on steps being taken to transfer technology in fisheries to developing countries to face problems created by globalization.