The Hindu Business Line : Seafood checking labs to go on stream by May

THE analytical facilities for checking antibiotic residues in seafood will be operationalised in May, according to Mr Jose Cyriac, Chairman, Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA).

The total cost for the testing facilities is estimated at Rs 17.5 crore. The testing facilities are crucial to continuing seafood exports, particularly that of farm grown shrimps, to the European countries.

In September 2002, the EU had cautioned Indian exporters of unacceptable levels of antibiotic residues in shrimp consignments.

The European Commission had warned of a possible red alert on Indian exports. It had banned imports from China (the ban is still in effect) and put Vietnam and Thailand on red alert, which has resulted in a 70 per cent drop in their exports to the EU.

Mr Cyriac told Business Line that MPEDA plans to put up nine such facilities one each in Karnataka, Orissa, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Kolkata, and two each in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. These laboratories will have the identical testing facilities as used in the importing countries. Such facilities are not available to the exporters as of now and they had been handicapped by this lacuna. But, now the equipment will enable them to check for presence of residues as low as 0.3 ppb (parts per billion) or less, if required.

The labs will be equipped with high performance liquid chromatography-MS/MS machines that cost about Rs 1.5 crore each. Of the nine facilities, seven would be operated by existing laboratories including the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Kochi, Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, Bhubaneshwar, MPEDA's lab, Kochi, Fisheries College, Mangalore, and three laboratories of the Export Inspection Council at Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.

Two will be new laboratories to come up at Nellore and Bimavaram at a cost of Rs 3.5 crore each, he said.

According to industry sources, the use of antibiotics could be avoided at the farm level. But the key feature was obtaining quality shrimp seeds that are free from disease. This will have to be the responsibility of the hatcheries. The extensive awareness campaign by Government agencies including the MPEDA and farmers' associations has helped to prevent use of antibiotics at the farm level.

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication

Stories in this Section
Seafood checking labs to go on stream by May

Rubber firm on sparse supply

Tea Board scraps sops for expanding area

Leather industry aims at $5-b exports by 2007

Lint prices head north