An awareness campaign to increase A&N Islands’ direct seafood exports

Local fish exporters and dealers in the South Andaman area participated in an awareness program organized by the Department of Fisheries, Andaman & Nicobar Administration, in association with the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The purpose of the event was to acquaint participants with the certification and registration processes necessary for direct exports of seafood from the Islands to foreign markets.

The program was led by Dr. K. Gopal, Joint Director (Fisheries), Mr. S. U. Maheswar Rao, Governing Body Member of the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), and Mr. A. Sakthivel, Assistant Director, MPEDA, Kochi. A number of businessmen and seafood exporters from the Andaman & Nicobar Islands took an active role in the meeting. The Assistant Director of MPEDA introduced the Common Chilled Fish Handling Unit, allowing seafood processing with lower capital investment. He addressed questions about export licensing, laboratory testing, and cost factors. Exporters expressed interest in direct seafood exports under MPEDA’s technical guidance.

In order to promote direct seafood exports, Dr. K. Gopal emphasized the aggressive measures being taken by the Andaman & Nicobar Administration in collaboration with the Ministry of Fisheries, the Airport Authority of India, the Customs Department, MPEDA, and the Export Inspection Agency (EIA). Attendees were educated by Mr. S. U. Maheswar Rao on a number of government programs, such as the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), which provides funding to improve the value chain of fisheries.