India International Seafood Show

Why is in news? India International Seafood Show concludes in Kolkata

India International Seafood Show (IISS) concluded in Kolkata on 17^th february, bolstering the government’s aim to double seafood exports by 2025 amid warm responses from buyers and exporters at the three-day event.

The buyers totalled 28, represented by 21 companies from 11 countries.

As many as 82 Indian exporters benefited from the meets, according to the three-day event’s organisers Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) and Seafood Exporters Association of India.

India’s renewed seafood exports target will earn 14 billion US dollars by 2025 as against $7.76 billion in 2021-22, Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry said at the inaugural session of IISS.

The 23rd IISS lent further momentum to the government’s attempt to regain buoyancy in seafood exports in the post-pandemic era, with the MPEDA set to hold a conference on the harmonisation of regulations for seafood among G-20 countries. This will be in Delhi in the second half of this year.

Further, the national capital will host a ‘Fish Food Festival’, inviting ambassadors from the top 20 markets (including G20 countries) of marine products.

India International Seafood Show (IISS) is one of the largest Seafood Fairs in Asia.

IISS as a biennial event offers sea of opportunities for exporters and importers of Indian marine products.

The trade show provides an umbrella for various stakeholders of this sector such as producers, processors, processing machinery manufacturers, linkage sectors, technical experts etc, to assemble under the same roof, build up trade relations and contribute towards the progress of seafood exports from the country.

The IISS facilitates the trade visitors to conduct business and build up trade relations in a perfect ambience.

The event also provides an excellent platform for entrepreneurs to exchange technological ideas and foster business development.

The Show will highlight India’s commitment towards safe and sustainable seafood production for export.

The fisheries sector is a direct source of livelihoods for more than 20 million fishers and fish farmers; contributes INR 1.75 trillion annually to the gross value added to India’s economy; and is a major export earner, with fish being one of the most important agricultural commodities to be exported from India.

Blue Revolution, the Neel Kranti Mission has the vision to achieve economic prosperity of the country and the fishers and fish farmers as well as contribute towards food and nutritional security through full potential utilization of water resources for fisheries development in a sustainable manner, keeping in view the bio-security and environmental concerns.

India is the second major producer of fish through aquaculture in the world.

India is the 4th largest exporter of fish in the world as it contributes 7.7% to the global fish production. Currently, this sector provides livelihood to more than 2.8 crore people within the country.

With a coastline of over 8,000 km, an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of over 2 million sq km, and with extensive freshwater resources, fisheries play a vital role.

Marine Products Export Development Authority:

The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) was set up by an act of Parliament during 1972.

The erstwhile Marine Products Export Promotion Council established by the Government of India in September 1961 was converged in to MPEDA on 24th August 1972.

MPEDA is given the mandate to promote the marine products industry with special reference to exports from the country.

MPEDA is the nodal agency for the holistic development of seafood industry in India to realise its full export potential as a nodal agency.

It is envisaged that this organization would take all actions to develop and augment the resources required for promoting the exports of “all varieties of fishery products known commercially as shrimp, prawn, lobster, crab, fish, shell-fish, other aquatic animals or plants or part thereof and any other products which the authority may, by notification in the Gazette of India, declare to be marine products for the purposes of (the) Act”.

The Act empowers MPEDA to regulate exports of marine products and take all measures required for ensuring sustained, quality seafood exports from the country.

MPEDA is also empowered to carry out inspection of marine products, its raw material, fixing standards, specifications, and training as well as take all necessary steps for marketing the seafood overseas.

Based on the recommendations of MPEDA, Government of India notified new standards for fishing vessels, storage premises, processing plants and conveyances.

MPEDA’s focus is mainly on Market Promotion, Capture Fisheries, Culture Fisheries, Processing Infrastructure & Value addition, Quality Control, Research and Development.