Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal said India should aim to increase its marine product exports from the current level of 8 billion US dollars to 30 billion US dollars over the next five years. He said the Government is committed to expanding global market access for the fisheries sector. Addressing a press conference on the sidelines of the two-day National Workshop on Seafood Exports commenced in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, the Minister noted that India has concluded a record nine free trade agreements over the last three-and-a-half years. He said these agreements have opened market opportunities across 38 countries, enabling Indian fishery products to reach consumers worldwide. The two-day workshop, which commenced yesterday, will focus on strengthening India’s fisheries and aquaculture sector and enhancing seafood exports.
Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh said India accounts for 8.8 per cent of global fish production, with total output currently at 19.7 million tonnes. He said Andhra Pradesh is the largest fish-producing state in the country, contributing nearly 5 million tonnes, or about 40% of India’s fish and shrimp production.
Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Chirag Paswan said discussions with stakeholders have highlighted significant opportunities for value addition and processing in the seafood sector. He noted that global demand for ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook seafood products is growing rapidly.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said Andhra Pradesh has a crucial role in advancing India’s blue economy. He said the state accounts for 28% of the country’s fish production, 66% of shrimp production and nearly 38% of India’s seafood export earnings. He said annual seafood exports from Andhra Pradesh exceed 28,000 crore rupees and added that innovations in aquaculture can further strengthen India’s position in the global seafood market. The workshop will continue over the next two days with stakeholder consultations, technical sessions and policy discussions aimed at preparing a roadmap to achieve India’s target of one lakh crore rupees in seafood exports and further strengthen its position in global seafood trade.
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