Live fish exports: Aviation Min sets up task force for infra

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has set up a task force comprising officials from it and also MPEDA, a body under the Ministry of Commerce to develop necessary infrastructure at airports to facilitate live fish exports, a top MPEDA official said here on Thursday.

The official also said the body is also looking to double the seafood exports from India from the existing about USD seven billion to USD 15 billion by 2024.

"We already have the live fish exports. But it constitutes only two per cent of the overall exports. We want to double it in the near future," Chairman of Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), K Srinivas said in a press conference.

"The Chennai airport is fully equipped to export live fish. The facilities at the other airports are limited. We held discussions with Ministry of Civil Aviation to improve the facilities at the airports.

They formed a task force with officials of both the departments on how to improve the facilities," he said.

Replying to a query, he said the EMPEDA is targeting to double the seafood exports by expanding the fisheries cultivated area, expanding and diversifying the varieties of the fish or prawns and improving the quality.

Noting that the national average of aqua production in India was five tonnes per hectare and about 10 tonnes in Gujarat, he said, "the average production per hectare has to go up. We need to introduce newer varieties and also expand the aqua cultivation to newer regions to double the exports."