Protests are brewing in Kerala over the reported relocation of the Marine Products Exports Development Authority (MPEDA) headquarters from Kochi. In a letter to Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Kerala legislators Hibi Eden and TN Prathapan stated that "any move to relocate MPEDA headquarters is detrimental to Kerala's fisheries sector."
They stated that the presence of the MPEDA headquarters in Kochi was critical in the development of the state's fishery exports, which totaled 5,000 crore. Furthermore, there are more registered manufacturing exporters, merchant exporters, and ornamental fish exporters in this state than in any other state in the country.
According to the MPs, fishing is a prominent sector in Kerala, with several export-oriented enterprises contributing 3% to the state's economy.
Shift to Andhra Pradesh
Rumors abound in the state about the MPEDA's headquarters being relocated to Andhra Pradesh, which supplies a significant portion of India's seafood export basket.
According to high-ranking seafood industry sources, a similar move was made a few years ago as a result of lobbying by exporters and the Andhra Pradesh government, which considers their state to be the single largest provider of India's shrimp exports, particularly the Vannamei types.
Rather than moving, Andhra Pradesh, according to the sources, requires additional export-related services, quality control, and disease diagnosis labs. Physical infrastructure has no bearing on export promotion, especially when considering the costs of relocating an administrative organization.
The need of the hour is to build a disease research programme to generate fast-growing, disease-resistant shrimps that will allow Andhra Pradesh to become the world's No. 1 shrimp producer and exporter, according to the sources.
According to industry sources, Kerala has a higher number of seafood processing units, as well as government organizations such as CMFRI, CIFT, CIFNET, and FSSAI.
The decision to relocate the MPEDA headquarters will have an impact on all of their operations. Gujarat is the biggest seafood exporter now, followed by Andhra Pradesh. If Gujarat overtakes Andhra Pradesh, a similar demand for a headquarters could be made, according to the source.
