With huge demand for chilled fish products from the eastern coast of the country in Dubai, Bangkok and Singapore, the Odisha Government has approached the Union Government to make facilities for seafood export by air from Bhubaneswar.
The State’s seafood products are being appreciated not only by countries of Far East and European Union but also in Middle East, where there are huge demands for them.
However, absence of air lifting facilities in Bhubaneswar is posing a major hurdle for the exporters. Several States, including Goa, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh are having such facilities. So, the Odisha Government has urged the Union Ministry of Commerce to ensure such facility.
Fisheries & ARD Secretary Bishnupada Sethi has also impressed upon the Team Commerce headed by Union Secretary Commerce Rita Teaotia in this regard. The team visited Bhubaneswar a few days ago. One of the other major roadblocks in seafood exports is that the State does not have specific port facilities for it, for which the exporters have to carry the freight to Visakhapatnam and Kolkata. This becomes a costly affair.
Exports are routed through the Visakhapatnam and Kolkata Ports. Odisha does not have adequate reefer points and exclusive berths for handling marine cargo in a port. So, the State Government has urged the Ministry of Commerce to extend such facilities.
Till port issues are resolved, inland freight subsidy may be provided to the exporters, the State Government has urged.
While Odisha is eyeing a huge target of `10,000 crore worth of seafood export trade, lack of coordination between the Central organisations engaged in fisheries development and export is harming the interest of the farmers.
Though Central bodies like MPEDA, CIFA and CIBA are working in the State, there is hardly any interaction and coordination between them for development of export-oriented fish trade. This issue came to fore during the meeting of the State administration with the Team Commerce.
Besides, the MPEDA is more concerned for export of shrimps. However, there are also excellent varieties of fish including sea bass, tilapia and mud crab, which are delicious and have huge acceptance in foreign countries. The MPEDA is not concentrating on these sea products.
Moreover, the MPEDA has been allotted land two years ago for setting up a world-class laboratory at Kaushalyaganga, but no construction has yet been started. And sadly, the other laboratories of the MPEDA are not functioning in the State.
Chief Secretary AP Padhi has brought all this to the notice of the MPEDA Chairman and the Union Commerce Secretary. Odisha needs more laboratories as seafood export is on rise and over 20 marine exporters in Odisha are exporting more than `2,000 crore worth products.