This story is from February 15, 2020

Coronavirus: No brakes on seafood export to China

Coronavirus: No brakes on seafood export to China
Hyderabad: India’s seafood exports to China has not been hit so far by the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, said officials from Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) on Friday.
“Around 500 exporters are exporting seafood from India to China. The exporting community, in general, has not raised any issue about exports being stopped to that country because of coronavirus,” said KS Srinivas, chairman, MPEDA, adding, “The impact of coronavirus on seafood exports is minimal.
There is no need for farmers or exporters to panic. The demand for shrimp and other varieties remains unchanged at the global level.”
While urging exporters not to worry, he said that seafood exports to China has increased substantially in 2020 compared to a year ago.
China has continued to be a big market for Indian seafood, accounting for almost 16% of the exports during the last financial year. India exported seafood worth $6.73 billion (13.92 lakh tonnes) last fiscal.
“Fish sales in the country and outside have not officially dwindled, but there is a huge chance of people avoiding contact from meat market places, given the risk of contracting the virus,” said N Srinivas, senior executive, National Fisheries Development Board.
But exporters fear that the consumption of shrimp might reduce, due to the coronavirus. “They are worried that consumption might be affected as the virus is rumoured to have originated from a meat market,” said Viswanath, a merchant exporter from Riyasat Nagar in Hyderabad.
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