Now It's Canada
Canada has put our fish product exports on its 'import alert list'. Apparently, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency(CFIA) has reacted after the European Union which earlier deemed the standard unsatisfactory and sent an inspection team to see things for itself.
We find the recent development quite baffling because a flurry of measures followed the EU inspection team's visit in order to standardise the farms coming under fire from the importing countries. The government has extended credit to modernise the farms. In addition to that, laws were revamped to make sure the EU regulations were met by the exporter. Yet why this set-back?
The ministry concerned of the government is yet to clear its position. One cannot help feeling that the issue has suffered from lack of follow-up. The kind of persuasion it takes to restore faith in international business following any instance of misgivings has reportedly been missing. This is most unfortunate. Because the government did not lack in either discretion or speed in understanding the gravity of the problem yet its intention has not been translated into reality.
The news of Canadian setback makes us feel that the problem might have suffered a communication gap. We urge the government to take up the matter seriously and do whatever is needed to clear the air. The fact that some other countries like India and Madagascar have also suffered this dubious distinction of being on the alert list of the European and North American importers should not make it subject to any kind of complacence because we can hardly afford it; the stakes are rather too high in our case.
Shrimp comprises 42 percent of our exports . Not only that thousands live on this 350 million US dollar frozen food industry.
Export of fish products seems to have been caught in a web of setbacks. Unless the reality changes there , the economy is in for a big jolt.
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