Kerala seafood faces Chinese quality bait.

 KOCHI: A communication gap between the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and Indian authorities might force India's Rs 2,000-crore seafood exports to China to a complete halt. The Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ), a Chinese agency which regulates import and export of food products to that country, will implement quality standards from June 1 this year. For now, under new AQSIQ guidelines, only 27 countries have been shortlisted to export marine produce to China. India is not on the list, and Indian authorities blame it squarely on a communication gap between the WTO and India.

"In situations like these, China writes to the WTO, which in turn contacts the member states. WTO might have informed India, but the message didn't reach us," said S K Saxena, director of Delhi-based Export Inspection Council of India, the authorized body to enter into agreements with other nations. "If we were informed earlier, India would have been included in the list," he added. The agency is preparing the required certificates demanded by the Chinese authorities.

In fiscal 2011, Indian seafood exports to China touched 1.59 lakh tonnes, or 20% of the country's production, worth Rs 1,978 crore. Gujarat exported 71,224 tonnes worth Rs 642 crore to China, while Kerala exported 10,985 tonnes worth Rs 132 crore. A top official with Kochi-based Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) said the issue would be resolved by the end of May. However, exporters, on condition of anonymity, said he situation is grave and

The 27 countries which have received inspection and quarantine certificates from AQSIQ are Vietnam, Thailand, South Korea, Parkistan, Burma, Japan, Philippines, Turkey, France, Denmark, Russia, Norway, the Netherlands, Iceland, Greece, Spain, Ireland, Germany, USA, Canada, Uruguay, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand.

"India did not take the initiative to meet the Chinese authorities.I suppose MPEDA and the Export Inspection Council (EIC) will visit China and find a solution to the issue," said Norbert Karikkassery, president of the Kerala chapter of Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI).

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com