Kochi: Qatar has imposed a temporary ban on seafood exports from India. This is after the presence of bacteria was found in the products. The stringent checks are in the background of the start of the FIFA World Cup football tournament hosted by Qatar this week.
The presence of the bacteria was discovered when a few shrimp containers that arrived from India were tested last month. India’s Seafood Export Promotion Authority (MPEDA) has started talks with the Qatari government to lift the ban. Officials of the Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI) also stated that Qatar has announced that it will allow the export of marine products for certification by the Export Inspection Agency (EIA) under the central government.
Empeda officials said show-cause notices were issued to shrimp exporting companies found to have the presence of the bacteria. These companies have been temporarily banned from EIA exports. Last year, India exported 4,000 tonnes of marine products to Qatar. The revenue was $2.5 crore (roughly Rs. 200 crore). In the context of the World Cup, this year’s export growth was expected to be better than the unexpected price.
A setback to export targets
India’s seafood export revenue in 2021-22 was $7.76 billion. The revenue target for the current year is 860 crores. However, it is estimated that it will be difficult to achieve the target for the current year due to the sharp decline from the main markets such as America, China, Europe and Japan.
Demand is affected by high inflation and fear of recession. There is a 30-35 percent drop in demand compared to the same period last year. With the Christmas and New Year season just around the corner, this lack of demand is a big blow to the seafood export sector.