COVID-19 may not impact seafood exports to China: MPEDA

New Delhi, Feb 13 (IANS) India's seafood exports to China are not likely to have any adverse impact due to Coronavirus, country's Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) said on Thursday.

MPEDA functions under the Union Ministry of Commerce & Industry as an autonomous nodal agency for development of seafood industry.

"Seafood exports to China have increased substantially in the current financial year as compared to the same period a year earlier," MPEDA Chairman K.S. Srinivas said in a statement.

Accordingly, during April-December 2019, total seafood exports to China stood at 2,42,218 tonnes valued at $1,032 million as against 1,65,950 tonnes valued at $589 million in the same period last year.

"The increase is 46 per cent in terms of quantity and 75 per cent in terms of value," he noted.

At present, around 500 exporters are shipping seafood from India to China.

"However, few (exporters) of them have expressed concern about shipping to China as the shrimp consumption might reduce," the statement said.

"But there is a strong possibility of the Chinese consumers switching to healthier seafood options leaving behind other items such as reptiles of various kinds."

India is the second largest aquaculture producer in the world, the country exports a significant volume of shrimp to Europe and other markets in South East Asia.