India must focus on value-added seafood exports: Chirag Paswan in Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam, June 5
Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Chirag Paswan on Friday said India's seafood sector has significant potential for expansion through processing and value addition, stressing the need to move beyond exporting raw fish and focus on ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook products to meet rising global demand.
Speaking on the sidelines of the National Workshop on Seafood Exports in Visakhapatnam, Paswan said increased processing would help strengthen the sector and support the government's vision of positioning India as a global food basket.
Speaking to ANI, Paswan said, "After having the interaction with all the stakeholders concerning the seafood industry, we have realised that there's a huge scope of processing in this sector. Rather than exporting raw fish, in today's time, the way demand is increasing is for ready-to-eat, ready-to-cook, value-added products."
"So, that is something which even the state government under the leadership of CM Chandrababu Naidu and also the way the Prime Minister is looking at this sector and eventually wants to present India as a global food basket. So, these are certain pointers on which we are having a two-day interaction with the industry, all the concerned stakeholders. And I'm sure that in the coming days, the processing will also increase multifold in the seafood sector," he further said.
Earlier, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, who was also present at the moment, stated that the performance underscores domestic resilience amid international challenges.
"Even in dollar terms, from 2014 to 2025, India's seafood exports increased by 70%, whereas the world international trade on seafood increased by barely 12-12.5%, clearly demonstrating the capabilities of our fishermen, the wonderful work that our stakeholders related to this sector, whether they are processors, whether they are exporters, all of them are doing," Goyal said.
"It encourages us that even in a year of global turmoil, if we could see 14-15% growth, clearly it shows that there's huge potential in this industry," he added.
— ANI
Reader Comments
I hope this means better support for small-scale fishermen in places like Andhra and Kerala. Value addition is good, but we need proper cold storage and processing units at the local level, not just in big cities. Otherwise, the benefits won't trickle down. 🤔
This is exactly what we need! Instead of playing catch-up in manufacturing, India can dominate in food processing. Our coastal communities have generations of knowledge about fish, now let's combine that with modern technology. But please ensure strict quality control and hygiene standards. 🐟
Excellent move, but we also need to consider domestic consumption. Many Indian households still buy fresh fish daily - if we push too much for value-added exports, local prices might shoot up. Balance is key. Hope the government consults with traditional fish vendors too.
The 70% growth in seafood exports since 2014 is really impressive! India has so many unique fish varieties that could be marketed globally - like our Kingfish or Pomfret. Ready-to-cook Kerala-style fish curry packets would be a huge hit in the UK and US. 🇮🇳
As someone from a fishing community in Visakhapatnam, I welcome this. But please make sure the processing units create local jobs and don't just bring in automation. Our youth need employment, especially in coastal areas. Also, sustainable fishing practices must be enforced - no overfishing!
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