Presenting a four-point roadmap for the comprehensive development of the seafood industry in the country, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday urged the seafood export community to avoid antibiotics in shrimp farming to boost exports.

Pointing out that all foreign markets have gone stricter on the inspection of marine products in the post-Covid era, the Union minister said Japan only accepts vannamei shrimps that are 100% antibiotic-free. The presence of antibiotics in the products is a major issue in European countries, America, Australia, Korea and Thailand, he added.

Addressing the golden jubilee celebrations of the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), held at Grand Hyatt in Kochi, via videoconferencing, Goyal said the Union government safeguarded the interests of the marine farmers in the last round of WTO discussions. India is working towards realising marine exports worth Rs 1 lakh crore by 2025, he said.

Goyal said, for the development of the sector, the seafood industry should locate 20 ma

rkets for items that comprise 90% of the exports. The industry should chart out marine products development projects in consultation with state administrations and aim for exports worth 20 billion dollars in the next five years, the commerce minister said.

He also recommended awareness programmes to guard marine products from antibiotics and pathogens. Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Anupriya Patel inaugurated the celebrations and released LegaSea, a coffee-table book, to mark the occasion.

Express News Service.( August 25 , 2022).Avoid antibiotics to boost seafood exports: Piyush Goyal. THE NEW INDIA EXPRESS. https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/2022/aug/25/avoid-antibiotics-to-boost-seafood-exportspiyush-goyal-2491053.html