The Hindu Business Line : Measures sought to revive seafood sector

The Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI) has suggested an array of measures to revive the seafood industry which has been going through one of its most critical periods in recent history.

The revival measures include providing alternate sources of livelihood for fishermen through provision of land and finance for cage culture, encouraging culture of vanammae shrimp along with black tiger, increase in DEPB rates by an additional five per cent, removal of service tax, support on freight costs and additional supports under the Foreign Trade Policy.

Reasons for worry

The association pointed out that the fisheries sector is now faced with the biggest crisis of the last 50 years, caused by the strengthening of the rupee by more than 15 per cent, increase in fuel price by more than 80 per cent, anti-dumping duty levied by the US Government and the oversupply of shrimps of the vanammae variety by countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and others at prices which were 25-30 per cent lower than black tiger shrimp cultured in India.

This crisis has implications for over two million fishermen and farmers on their livelihood and could potentially lay-off of more than 50,000 workers in the processing establishmenets.

Exports have dropped by 20 per cent in rupee value and could drop by 50 per cent of the $1 billion export trade in the coming year, leading to bankruptcies of many fishermen, farmers and exporters, the SEAI warned.

The travails and suggestions for revival of the fisheries sector were submitted in a memorandum to Ms Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson of the UPA, when she visited Kochi on Thursday.

Ms Gandhi said the matter would be taken up with the Prime Minister and the Union Finance Minister.

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