Home > The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA)

Introduction to MPEDA

The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) was set up by an act of Parliament during 1972. The erstwhile Marine Products Export Promotion Council established by the Government of India in September 1961 was converged in to MPEDA on 24th August 1972.

MPEDA is given the mandate to promote the marine products industry with special reference to exports from the country. It is envisaged that this organisation would take all actions to develop and augment the resources required for promoting the exports of “all varieties of fishery products known commercially as shrimp, prawn, lobster, crab, fish, shell-fish, other aquatic animals or plants or part thereof and any other products which the authority may, by notification in the Gazette of India, declare to be marine products for the purposes of (the) Act”.

The Act empowers MPEDA to regulate exports of marine products and take all measures required for ensuring sustained, quality seafood exports from the country.

MPEDA is given the authority to prescribe for itself any matters which the future might require for protecting and augmenting the seafood exports from the country. It is also empowered to carry out inspection of marine products, its raw material, fixing standards, specifications, and training as well as take all necessary steps for marketing the seafood overseas.

MPEDA is the nodal agency for the holistic development of seafood industry in India to realize its full export potential as a nodal agency. Based on the recommendations of MPEDA, Government of India notified new standards for fishing vessels, storage premises, processing plants and conveyances. MPEDA’s focus is mainly on Market Promotion, Capture Fisheries, Culture Fisheries, Processing Infrastructure & Value addition, Quality Control, Research and Development.

Functions of MPEDA in brief:

• Registration of infrastructural facilities for seafood export trade.
• Collection and dissemination of trade information.
• Promotion of Indian marine products in overseas markets.
• Implementation of schemes vital to the industry by extending assistance for infrastructure development for better preservation and modernized processing following quality regime.
• Promotion of aquaculture for augmenting export production through hatchery development, new farm development, diversification of species and up gradation of technology
• Promotion of deep-sea fishing projects through test fishing, joint ventures and up gradation & installation of equipments to increase the efficiency of fishing.
• Market promotional activities and publicity.
• To carry out inspection of marine products, its raw material, fixing standards and specifications, training, regulating as well as to take all necessary steps for maintaining the quality of seafood that are marketed overseas.
• Impart trainings to fishermen, fish processing workers, aquaculture farmers and other stake holders in the respective fields related to fisheries.
• Conduct research and development for the aquaculture of aquatic species having export potential through Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture (RGCA).
• Conduct extension and awareness activities, trainings etc through Network for Fish Quality Management and Sustainable Fishing (NETFISH) & National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture (NaCSA).
• To prescribe for itself any matters required for protecting and augmenting the seafood exports from the country in the future.

Registration of Exporters and other Entities:

Registration of Exporters, Fishing Vessels and other Processing entities is one of the statutory functions of MPEDA.

Exporters:

Registration as an exporter is granted of MPEDA Act & Rules, 1972. The exporters are categorized into four, viz:-

1. Manufacturer Exporter – is an owner of an approved processing plant, or an approved fishing vessel having onboard processing facilities, or live fish handling facility, or chilled fish handling facility or dried fish handling facility.
2. Merchant Exporter – is an exporter who does not own a processing plant, but utilizes the surplus capacity of an approved processing or handling facility.
3. Route through Merchant Exporter – is an Export House or Trading House or Star Trading House or Super Star Trading House, possessing a certificate of approval issued by the DGFT.
4. Ornamental Fish Exporter – is an exporter who exports only ornamental fish but not an exporter of live marine products for human consumption.

The marine products permitted to be exported are classified into 8 categories as given below:-

1. Frozen Marine Products
2. Canned Marine Products
3. Freeze Dried Marine Products
4. Live Marine Products, other than Ornamental Fish
5. Dried Marine Products
6. Chilled Marine Products
7. Ornamental Fish
8. Others (Edible)/(Non-Edible)

Other Entities (Fishing Vessel and Processing):

1. Fishing Vessels
2. Processing Plants
3. Storage Premises
4. Conveyance
5. Pre-Processing Centres
6. Live Fish Handling Centre
7. Chilled Fish Handling Centre
8. Dried Fish Handling Centre
9. Independent Cold Storages

Registration Procedure:

Every application for registration as an exporter of marine products shall be made to the Secretary or other officer authorized by him in Form IX obtainable from the offices of the Authority on payment of Rs. 200/- in cash or by MO / DD / PO drawn in favour of the Authority for each application and shall be accompanied by the list of enclosures indicated in the application (Form IX).

Every application for registration as an exporter shall also be accompanied by a fee of Rs. 5,000/-. Application in triplicate will have to be submitted to the concerned registering office under whose jurisdiction Registered or Head Office of the applicant is located. The application shall be submitted with an application fee of Rs. 5000/- along with the required documents.

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