KCCI seeks MPEDA-approved quality control labs in Mangaluru

Exporters from coastal districts will have to depend on Kochi lab for now

The Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has appealed to the Additional Director General of Foreign Trade (ADGFT) to initiate measures to set up a Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) approved fish and fisheries product testing and certification lab to boost exports from Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada districts and the surrounding areas of Karnataka under the district export plan.

KCCI President Isaac Vas said that the undivided Dakshina Kannada is a hub for fishing industries across the value chain.

“An average of 1,18,466 tonnes of fish and fisheries products are exported from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi district per annum. For export of fish and fisheries products, the exporter must get the fish tested at MPEDA Quality Control Lab at Kochi. The exporters from this region have to send their samples to Kochi to get their product tested, which causes a delay of around six working days. At times, the test results are available after 10 working days. Due to these delays, the fishing industries face several constraints,” he said.

There is a block on working capital for the industry as the exporter cannot export the product on a timely basis. The industry has to store the material in cold storage, causing colossal power consumption and blocking of storage space which could otherwise be used for more efficient productions. Further, the Government of Karnataka is proposing a fish processing park in Mangaluru. Therefore, it is imperative that the testing and certification of the export products get done without much loss of time to maintain the value chain of the products exported, he said.

Further, KCCI President said that the Fisheries College in Mangaluru has given in-principle approval for allotting space for setting up the Lab in Mangaluru. In the in-principle approval from Fisheries College, the Dean of the College said that the college would be able to provide authentic testing and analysis data which is on par with any certified laboratory in the country if set up in the premises.

DGFT is always at the forefront in helping exporters across the country, Isaac Vas said and appealed to the ADGFT to pursue with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry the setting up of the MPEDA approved Quality Control Lab in Mangaluru without further delay.

The setting of the lab would go a long way in the betterment of the fisheries industry and accelerate the economic development of the region.