AgriMin for strict action against erring shrimp exporters

Concerned over rejection of consignment of Indian shrimps due to presence of antibiotics, the Agriculture Ministry today said it will consult other regulatory bodies like FSSAI to frame stringent legal action, including penalty, against violators.

The issue was discussed in a meeting, headed by Animal Husbandry Secretary Devendra Chaudhry, in view of the EU tightening its inspection norms for aquaculture products sent from India.

Earlier, the norm was testing samples from at least 10 per cent of the consignments, which has been enhanced to 50 per cent from October 2016, thereby affecting India's shrimp exports.

"The concerns of stakeholders and possible causes of the problem were discussed in detail during the intense deliberations. It was decided that the issue is a complex one and has to be addressed by various regulatory agencies in the central and state governments," an official statement said.

The Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries (DADF) under the Agriculture Ministry has mandate for animal disease monitoring and control under the relevant regulations.

Therefore, regulatory bodies -- Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (DGSCO) and the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) -- under the Healthy Ministry will also be consulted for working out a workable regulatory mechanism so that effective enforcement is in place including penal action against violators, it said.

Representatives of coastal states, National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), Export Inspection Council (EIC), Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (CIBA) and other stakeholders were present in the meeting.

India exported a total of 11,34,948 tonnes seafood in 2016-17 as against 9,45,892 tonnes in the previous year.

The overall shrimp export was 4,34,484 tonnes in the same period, the statement added.

(This article has not been edited by Zeebiz editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)