According to the figures made available by the Marine Product Export Development Authority (MPEDA), the seafood exports from the country during the April-June period this year has zoomed by 21.19 per cent in value terms compared to the same period last year. According to the figures, the total export earnings of the seafood industry during the first three months of the current fiscal has increased by Rs 192.37 crore to Rs 1100 crore compared to the Rs 907.63 crore during the corresponding period last year.

However, in quantity terms the export has registered a slump to the tune of 11.47 per cent during theperiod. The total quantity exported has declined to the rune of 8,633 tonnes to 6,6600 tonnes during the first quarter of the current fiscal from 75,233 tonnes during the same period last year. Industry sources attributed the dip in quantity exported to the severe scarcity of raw fish in the domestic market.

However, they also pointed out that the export growth in value term to the tune of a shade over 21 per cent was mainly driven by the shift in the export basket in favour of high vale items like frozen shrimp, cuttle fish and squid. They said the fact that the industry could achieve a whopping 21.19 per cent growth inspite of a crippling ban on aquaculture and sever raw material scarcity assumes significance in the wake of an all round deceleration in exports including that of major commodities like spices.

They said a major factor that driven the exports up during the first quarter was the shift in the product mix in favour of high value items like frozen shrimp, squid and cuttle fish in the place ofthe traditional fish items. The total quantity of frozen shrimp exported during April-June 1998 has increased by 1095 tonnes to 23,240 tonnes from 22,145 tonnes during the corresponding period last year. In value terms the increase was to the tune of Rs 208.35 crore to Rs 835 crore from Rs 626.65 crore during the period. Notably the share of frozen shrimp in the total export has also increased during the same period. In quantity terms shrimp exports as a percentage of total seafood export increased to 34.89 per cent this year from 29.43 per cent last year. In value terms the increase was more, up from 69.04 per cent last year to 76 per cent this year.

Trade sources said the industry managed to improve the share of shrimp export by improving the productivity of the existing aquaculture farms. They said if the crippling ban on aquaculture was not in place the figures would have been much higher.

Similarly the export of cuttle fish and squid had also registered a phenomenal increase during the period.While in value terms the exports of cuttle fish has registered an increase of 49.14 per cent the quantity has increased by 57.32 per cent during the same period last year. In the case of squid, while the quantity registered a decline to the tune of 5.95 per cent export earnings in rupee terms have improved by 11.59 per cent.