The Global Aquaculture Alliance held its 20th GOAL (Global Outlook for Aquaculture Leadership) conference Chennai, India. Andrew Mallison, the nonprofit organization’s CEO, said during the opening address that GAA is hoping help move aquaculture “from left to right” along a path of continuous improvement by helping producers adopt best practices, achieve certification and strive for beyond-certification innovations that push the industry forward.
“You have to commit,” he said, echoing the conference’s theme, “Connect. Collaborate. Commit.” He then asked attendees to publicly announce goals and report on their progress at next year’s event. “Nothing will change unless we collectively apply ourselves to do it. It can be small – it doesn’t have to be millions of dollars. Just commit to something.”
The conference, held at Chennai’s Leela Palace hotel, offered a range of content. Here are tidbits relevant to India business
K.S. Srinivas, chairman of India’s Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), said India’s goal is to grow annual aquaculture export revenue from an already impressive $7 billion to $15 billion. To do yet again double its seafood exports, which it has done in just over the past decade, it will need to diversify its shrimp production beyond Pacific whites (Litopenaeus vannamei).
“We think it will only be two or three years before we are really exporting black tiger (Penaeus monodon) again,” he said. “Aquaculture area has grown 800 percent over the last decade, but the total area utilized is just 15 percent.”
India’s seafood processors are underutilized, Srinivas added, and there is enormous scope for new fin-fish species, including tilapia in freshwater and cobia and sea bass along the country’s vast coastline. He said India needs investment in its farms, hatcheries and cold storage, and is hoping that more producers attain third-party certification.
