Saturday, July 19, 2014

India' s Tuna Production and Export below potential !


We feel that India's canned production of tuna and its export are not upto the mark. Tuna fish exports are a mere 500 million dollars ! We can easily achieve 2/3 billion if we concentrate on this area.

Andaman and Nicobar Island have been identified as holding 25-30 per cent of tuna potential in the country. “A prespective plan for tuna fishing was released 3-4 months back with main focus for fishing in Andaman and Nicobar sea and also off Vishakapatnam and Tuticorin coast,” said one official.

Thailand exports 6 lakh tonnes of tuna. We have tremendous potential here. 

Indian fishermen were able to catch tuna fish venturing into the sea even in catamarans, but that was not the best part. " Immediately after catching the fish, it should be properly gilled and gutted to keep the histamine levels within the stipulated limits. It should then be preserved properly. Otherwise, the fish which is in great demand in Japan, the US and the EU will lose much of its export value."

It is estimated that India has a potential of 213,000 tonnes of tuna fish in the exclusive economic zone, but only a fraction is exploited now. Even its value is greatly diminished due to poor post-harvest practices.

We have uploaded a file Tuna Trade in Asia at the Files Section of the  F B Group, the Eighteen Sciences.
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