India International Seafood Show Commences Today In Vizag

The India International Seafood Show commencing here today will discuss the challenges and strategies for the Indian fishing industry which is on the road to achieving USD 10 billion exports by 2020.A multi-pronged strategy addressing captured fish and aquaculture is expected to achieve this target, Marine Product Exports Development Authority Chairman A Jayathilak told reporters here yesterday.He said sustainable methods of fishing and aquaculture production through diversification will lead to this growth in the next four years.During the last fiscal, India exported marine products worth USD 4.7 billion in terms of value and 9,45,892 tonnes in quantity, thus becoming the leading exporter in the world.The three-day show, a forum for exporters and importers, was a massive success in the past vastly benefiting the Indian seafood business and it also provided a platform for manufacturers and suppliers of seafood processing machinery, packaging system, certifications, processing ingredients, cold chain system and logistics, he said.Technical sessions will be conducted by US Food and Drug Administration, Norwegian Embassy, European Commission and Indian experts along the show.Seafood Exporters Association of India Chairman V Padmanabhan said SEAI, the co-host of the show, has been conducting the event once in two years since 40 years and providing excellent platform to exchange technology which has benefited the farmers, and created employment for skilled and
unskilled persons in the country.He said of the USD 4.5 billion exports, Andhra Pradesh's share stood at 40 per cent, becoming the leading exporter in the country."Andhra Pradesh also takes pride in being the shrimp capital of India," he said.SEAI Secretary General R Shree Kumar said the show is best in Asia and almost at par with those conducted in US and other developed countries.He said India is biggest exporter of cultured shrimp to the US, that is produced in AP. By 2020, half of the exports would be from the state and it was the reason Visakhapatnam was selected for the second time to host the show.Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitaraman will inaugurate the show in the presence of Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu
will deliver the presidential address.Around 117 Indian companies, including 27 foreign, will participate at the three-day event, which will be attended by over 1,000 Indian delegates and 200 overseas visitors.
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