Mamata Banerjee seeks bailout for seafood exporters from commerce ministry.

Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister MamataBanerjee has written to the Union commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma to bail out the seafood exporters who have sent black tiger shrimp consignments to Japan.

The importing nation has rejected the consignments on the ground that they have high levels of ethoxyquin. Banerjee wants the Centre to immediately negotiate with the Japanese authorities so that exporters, who are largely from West Bengal and Odisha, don't suffer a huge loss this year.

The two eastern states together export tiger prawns worth Rs 1,200 - Rs 1,500 crore annually to Japan.

But the Asian nation has suddenly reduced the ethoxyquin content in shrimps to 0.01 parts per million (ppm) without informing the Indian government or the exporters. It has not only come as a major blow to exporters but to 50,000 farmers who have taken to aquaculture. It is learnt that 200 containers of shrimp have been rejected over the past few weeks by Japan on the detection of ethoxyquin.

Taj Mohammed, regional president (West Bengal) of Sea Food Exporters Association of India (SEAI), said: "Anand Sharma has taken up the issue with his Japanese counterpart. We are hoping that the Japanese authorities will amend their regulation."

The commerce ministry has rushed a delegation led by the chairman of Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) and comprising the director of Export Inspection Council and the resident director-designate of MPEDA in Japan. G Mohanty, regional president (Odisha) of SEAI, said: "There are no international norms fixed for ethoxyquin levels in shrimps by authorities in America or the European Union, for instance. And, even Japan permits it up to a certain level in fish."

Fishmeal forms an important component of feed for shrimps. To avoid rancidity in fishmeal, a large range of anti-oxidants are used. Ethoxyquin is one of the most popular and effective anti-oxidants used worldwide, M K Ram Mohan, deputy director, MPEDA said. Mohanty added that Japanese importers are requesting the Indian exporters to take back the consignments.


Source  :  economictimes.indiatimes.com