In the last 50
years, the fish eaters of the world have doubled.
The seafood industry has changed beyond recognition.
India's seafood industry is one of our biggest
foreign exchange earners. Its turnover is around
9 billion dollars.
Crab is an India
seafood product which has great potential as
an export commodity. It is highly in demand
in the export market. Crab exports currently
bring in 46.2 crores. Also, there are the sea
cucumbers, of which there are 200 species. 75
of them are found in shallow waters within a
depth of 20 metres.
Shrimps and lobsters
rank first among India seafood because of their
great value in the global market. Crabs come
a close second. Due to their increasing popularity
crabs have made a name for themselves in the
international market.
There are also
some value added products which are useful for
export and also the domestic market. Surimi
is minced flesh of deboned fish used in fish
sausages, fish cake etc. Countries like Thailand,
Malayasia, Indonesia are gradually becoming
steady exporters of this product. There are
around 400 processing plants in India and out
of this 160 are processing India seafood for
export to the US.
Another new fish
that is gradually making its presence felt in
the US is the Tilapia. The cost of growing this
fish in India is very low. The US Tilapia producers
are unable to compete here. So tilapia now forms
a part of India seafood.
The eggs of marine
crabs have been found to be a good source of
protein, glycogen and fat. They can be consumed
directly or used in the preparation of sausages
and protein concentrates. However this is a
resource which has been unexplored.
From the 1960s,
India started exporting processed items instead
of dried ones. Developed countries started acquiring
a taste for Indian marine products, which came
to be known as India seafood. Earlier, India
exported mainly to neighboring countries like
Srilanka, Myanmar, Singapore etc. But as frozen
and canned items became a prominent part of
exports, affluent markets like USA, France,
Australia, Canada and Japan became India's buyers.
Modern machinery for freezing and canning were
introduced at the processing plants.
The main buyer
for frozen shrimp was the US. But after 1977,
Japan became the principle buyer followed by
the Western European countries, which had acquired
a taste for India seafood. China imported fishes
like the Ribbon fish, croaker etc.
During the 50s
and 60s India exported dried fish. This scenario
changed in the 70s when India shifted over to
frozen and canned products. In the 80s frozen
items became a primary factor in the Indian
sea food trade. Japan showed a distinct preference
for Headless Shell-on shrimp, USA wanted peeled
shrimp meat and the European countries showed
an inclination towards IQF shrimp in frozen
and cooked form. The European countries along
with Japan also took in Cephalopods, which is
a part of the India seafood industry.
Andhra Pradesh
and Orissa are important states for shrimp farming
and India's shrimp export industry is booming
in the International market.
For price
quotes and any further information, feel free
to call us today at:
Siam
Canadian Foods Co., Ltd.
9th Floor, Suite 283/44, Home Place Office Building.
283 Thonglor 13, Sukhumvit 55
Kongton Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110,
THAILAND
Call us at +66-2-185-3311
Fax: +66-2-185-3317
Email us at info@siamcanadian.com
