May 5, 2005

Japan rejects shrimp shipment from India

Seafood importers in Japan have rejected around 28 containers of shrimp from India worth Rs 200 million. Though the Marine Products Export Development Authority and Seafood Exporters Association of India have taken precautionary measures since five containers of shrimp were rejected from Europe two years ago, outlawed chemicals continue to be found in Indian shrimp.

In Andhra Pradesh, where 85 percent of the most recent rejected shrimp are from, there is a lack of a proper regulatory system and the authorities to monitor aqua farming. The state produces Rs 20,000 million tiger shrimps a year, and similar problems could have a significant impact on its economy.