Kerala seafood exports: Centre says 'freeze'.

 KOCHI: Seafood exports for the European Union are headed for murky waters if the Exports Inspection Council of India's latest initiative is any indication.

In a notification issued on March 15 and effective the same day, the EIA has said that fishing vessels who have not registered with EIAs (Export Inspection Agency) in their respective states will not be granted health certificates or permits to export to the EU.

Kerala fishermen and exporters are on the warpath against the move as not a single one of the state's fleet of 5,500 mechanised is registered with the EIA. Neither are the four-odd landing harbours on the state's coastline. An official of the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) declined to comment on the development, saying that talks to resolve the issue between exporters and the EIC are on.

However, exporters said though coming into effect from March 15, the EIA has agreed to keep it in abeyance till it hears the views of exporters and boat owners in the next few weeks. EU is the second largest market for India's marine exports after South East Asia with a share of 22.02%, followed by US with 19.17%, Japan at 14.09% and China at 7.06%.

"Registering these boats will be a lengthy, if not tortuous process, as a lot of awareness has to be generated and this would take time. As for harbours and landing centres, just two of them have provisional approval while the rest do not conform to EU standards of hygiene and packing to ensure safety from contamination. The seafood industry in Kerala has been caught unawares by this notification and is tormented by what lies ahead for exports from our shores," said Anwar Hashim, managing director, Abad Fisheries, and former president of the Seafood Exporters Association of India.

He said that while Kerala's shrimp exports are largely landed in US and Japan, the EU is the primary market for cuttlefish and squid exports. "A similar notification was issued last year. In our talks with EIC then, our understanding was that EIC's proposed inspections for ensuring hygiene at the landing centres and proper decontamination facilities would not be linked to the issue of registrations. Unfortunately, that is what seems to be happening. I hope they are aware of the disastrous impact of their notification on fishermen and the industry," Hashim said.

Exporters have pointed out that the issue is beyond their control as fishing harbours are owned by the government which should take action on ensuring hygiene at the landing centres. However, a boating agent supplying to leading marine exporters, felt that the EIC move would standardize procurement and exports of marine products and ensure hygiene and health practices would get firmer control at the hands of a centralized agency.

"Earlier, the appropriate authorities for registering fishing vessels and harbours were the fisheries departments of different states, or the Directorate of Shipping or the MPEDA itself. The EIC's move to make the EIAs the single-point registration authority is welcome," he said.

Seafood from Kerala fetched over Rs 2,000 crore of India's estimated Rs 17,000 crore worth of exports in fiscal 2011.

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com