The fishing community and traders here feel that the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), set up in 1972, has a lot to do to connect with the stakeholders.
“Instead of focusing on regulations, they should give importance to promotional activity. The fishermen and others connected with the industry are not being informed very often about the incentives offered by the MPEDA,” Association of Indian Fishery Industries president Y.G.K. Murti told The Hindu .
The MPEDA has been mandated by Parliament to increase exports, specify standards, and help in processing, marketing, extension and training.
“It is plagued with manpower shortage in carrying out its mission,” an MPEDA official pointed out.
MPEDA has a big task ahead in raising country’s export of fish and fish products from the present Rs.30,000 crore to Rs.60,000 crore.
Mechanised boat operators say that most employees of the MPEDA are from other states and have no knowledge of Telugu.
“For the past several years, no effort has been made to replace the navigational equipment like GPS, fish-finder, echo sounder, and VHF sets given to us,” regrets Dolphin Boat Operators’ Welfare Association president Ch. Satyanarayana Murthy.
During the recent visit of Union Minister of State for Commerce & Industry Nirmala Sitharaman, several people complained of non-availability of Telugu-speaking employees, adversely affecting promotional activities. At one point of time, during the interaction, she had to translate the explanation of one of the employees into Telugu.
“The government wants to revamp the MPEDA so that it can live up to the expectation of the stakeholders in the fishing industry,” MP K. Haribabu, who served as Vice-Chairman of MPEDA during the earlier stint of NDA at the Centre, said.
