Competition from cheaper vannamei shrimps (white shrimps, grown mainly in China and Thailand), low availability of marine resources and the appreciating value of the rupee has brought down seafood exports in volume and value during FY08. The only redeeming feature has been the increase in revenue in terms of dollars for the fourth consecutive year.
Compared to FY07, volume of exports fell by 11.58%, while value declined by 8.88%. According to estimates with the state-run Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), exports during the last fiscal stood at 541,701 tonne valued at Rs 7,620.92 crore, as against 612,641 tonne valued at Rs 8,363 crore in 2006-07. Revenue in terms of the dollar for the fiscal stands at $1,899.09 million.
Frozen shrimps continue to be the major item of exports, valued at $980.62 million with a share of 52% of the total exports in value. It is followed by frozen fish, with a 17%-share (valued at $ 326.29 million), frozen cuttle-fish with a 9.76%-share (valued at $ 185.66 million) and frozen squid with a 5.36%-share (valued at $4,101.29 million).
The European Union with export-share of 27.58% is the major market, while Japan and US come next. China comes fourth in terms of dollars, but is second in terms of quantity .
Vannamei shrimps are likely to be introduced soon in India, with the MPEDA being appointed as the nodal agency to coordinate the effort, MPEDA chairman, G Mohan Kumar, said. ?Efforts by the MPEDA have also resulted in tuna exports increasing by 80.16 % in terms of dollars and 48% in terms of quantity,? he said. Tuna exports stand at 35,226 tonne valued at $53.22 million. Mohan Kumar added that efforts were also on to target new markets like eastern Europe, South America and South Africa.