Next India International Seafood show to be in Goa

The 21st edition of India International Seafood Show (IISS) will be organised in Goa in 2018, it was announced here on Sunday.

"The coastal state of Goa, knowing for its scenic beauty, sandy beaches and thriving ports, would host the next edition of the IISS," said Marine Product Exports Development Authority (MPEDA) Chairman A Jayathilak at this year's event in Visakhapatnam, which is soon going to be the "aquaculture hub of the world".

The biennial event, first held in 1973 in Mumbai, is the largest seafood fair in Asia in which sea food importers and exporters of marine products, processors, manufacturers and other sectors gather under one roof to help boosting the countries marine industry.

The three-day, 20th edition here was jointly organised by the MPEDA, a statutory body under the Union Commerce and Industry Ministry, and Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI) with the theme of "Safe and Sustainable Indian Aquaculture" to project the quality of aquaculture.

It was inaugurated by Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and was also attended by Union Urban Development Minister Venkiah Naidu and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Babu among other dignitaries.

Sitharaman, while inaugurating the event on Friday, announced that a separate agency for development and management of aquaculture and fisheries will be set up under MPEDA in all coastal states of the country.

With India being world's seventh largest sea food producer, the event aimed to boost value addition to marine products and promote sustained small scale aquaculture through empowerment of farmers.

This year, the IISS was a huge success with a number of positives for all the stakeholders of the seafood industry in India and abroad.

The event saw the participation of nearly 30 countries and more than 2,000 delegates to boost the country's aquaculture industry with the US, EU, Southeast Asia, Japanand China as major seafood partners.

--IANS

py/vd