India seeks EU nod for export of farmed shrimps by newly listed firms

India has demanded the European Union to provide permission to newly-listed fishery companies for the export of farmed shrimps and reduce the sampling frequency at the EU border inspection post from the current level of 50 per cent.

These issues were flagged by Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala in a meeting with the EU delegation led by Virginijus Sinkevicius, European Commissioner for Environment, Ocean and Fisheries here on Thursday.

"Various bilateral issues on fisheries and aquaculture were discussed" in the meeting, an official statement said.

In the meeting, Rupala requested the EU to reduce sampling frequency for inspection of Indian farmed shrimps at border inspection post of the EU from the current level of 50 per cent to the previous level of 10 per cent.

He also requested for re-listing of de-listed fishery establishments, and granting permission to the newly listed fishery companies for export of aquaculture shrimps from India to the EU.

On the request of the EU, the statement said both sides agreed to engage bilaterally on important issues such as Port State Measure Agreement, Fisheries Subsidies issues in WTO, Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), Ocean and Fisheries Dialogue', illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and market access related issues within the framework of a Joint Working Group proposed to be constituted on fisheries.

Further, the EU side was also requested to join any pillar of Indo - Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) as a follow-up to the invitation made to EU and its member states during the India-EU Leaders' Summit in May 2021.