India is 2nd largest exporter of marine products

By Our Special Correspondent

Dr. KN Raghavan, Chairman, Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), said that India has become the second largest exporter of marine products after China by achieving an 18-fold growth in the last seven decades.

A seminar on MPEDA's initiatives to promote diversified aquaculture in India with special focus on Andhra Pradesh was inaugurated here on Tuesday as part of MPEDA's Golden Jubilee celebrations.

Dr. Raghavan said aquaculture is one of the most important economic activities in a developing country with diversified resources. It was recognized as an important sector like agriculture and special efforts were made to develop it.

Aquaculture, which was only 0.75 million tons in 1950-51, has reached 13.76 million tons by 2018-19. Besides meeting the needs of the people of the country, around 1.5 crore people are living through this important activity.

Referring to the status of Andhra Pradesh, Dr. Raghavan said the state with its 974-km coastline exports 35% of the country's aquaculture products and produces aquaculture products in 1.2 lakh hectares.

In addition various aqua products are produced in 1.74 lakh hectares of brackish water areas 2.34 lakh hectares of reservoirs and lakes 28,200 hectares of mangrove and wetlands.

MPEDA provides necessary training to improve scientific aquaculture operations and enhance capacity of aqua farmers. An Aqua Promotion Office was set up at Machilipatnam in 1982, a Sub-Regional Center for Aquaculture Promotion at Bhimavaram in 2013 and a satellite center at Nellore in 2014 to provide the latest technology and financial support.

Dr. Raghavan recalled that country's first shrimp hatchery, TASPARC, was set up by MPEDA at Visakhapatnam, paving the way for the blue revolution. After that, another 300 hatcheries were set up across the country.

Several hundred men are trained in hectares management and seed development to produce the annual shrimp seed needed by aqua farmers.

Besides, MPEDA has introduced cluster farming system in the state to train farmers with better management techniques. Dr. Raghavan hoped that Andhra Pradesh would soon become a processing hub in the country.

National Fisheries Development Board Chief Executive Dr Suvarna Chandrappagari, AP Fisheries Commissioner K Kannababu, MPEDA Director M Karthikeya, Secretary KS Pradeep, Net fish CEO Dr Joyce V Thomas, Naxa CEO Dr Deerith Ikka and a large number of farmers from across Andhra. Pradesh and Telangana participated.