Marine products exports cross $2billion mark

KOCHI: The marine product exports has crossed the $2.8 billion mark this financial year, Chairperson of Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) Leena Nair has said.“The increased production of Vannamei shrimp, increased productivity of Black tiger shrimp and better price realisation of major items like Cuttlefish, Shrimp and Squid helped us  gain such a higher export turnover,” she said.Frozen shrimp was the most valued export item with 44.7 per cent of the total earnings, this year followed by fish exports with 20.42 per cent of the total earnings.“Fish has retained its position as the principal export item in terms of quantity. The highest growth rate this year though is that of cuttlefish which stands third in the list of exports,” Leena Nair said. India’s exports was achieved at a time when there was fluctuation in the world economy and continuing anti-dumping duty in the US. The sluggish growth in the US economy and the political instability in the Arab world were also negative features, she said.The major markets for the exports has been the European Union with 26.78 per cent, South East Asia with 16.43 per cent, USA with 15.35 per cent, Japan, Middle East and other countries.There was significant increase in exports to African countries in comparison to previous year’s, although the total exports to Africa remained very low compared to other regions, Leena Nair said.