In a huge relief to aqua farmers of Andhra Pradesh, Industry Minister Nara Lokesh on Tuesday announced that the Australian government has granted approval to the first import of unpeeled Indian prawns.
Following the high tariff imposed by the Trump government, shrimp farmers of the state were in deep trouble. Lokesh is currently in Australia seeking investment while Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu left for a visit to the UAE for the same purpose.
Taking to his ‘X’ handle, the state industry minister announced that Australia has agreed to lift the trade barrier against unpeeled Indian prawns.
Australia had earlier imposed restrictions on the import of unpeeled prawns from India following the detection of white spot virus in previous consignments. This ban had been a long-standing hurdle for seafood exporters and shrimp farmers who were looking forward to regaining access to the Australian market, particularly as the US president’s tariff war against India had hit them hard.
Lokesh wrote, “A long-standing hurdle for Indian seafood exporters has been Australia’s restriction on unpeeled prawns due to white spot virus detection. Today, the first import approval for Indian prawns has been granted.”
Referring to the high US tariffs that adversely affected the Indian seafood exporters, he stated, “We should continue to open new markets to de-risk ourselves from too much dependence on one market.”
Meeting leaders of Seafood Industry Australia at Parramatta, the minister called for structured trade missions and networking platforms to connect the seafood exporters from the southern state with buyers from Australia and worldwide.
He also urged for joint initiatives to upgrade processing quality, extend shelf life and raise compliance standards via modern cold chain, packaging and biosecurity practices keeping with the demands of the global market.
He also proposed culinary tourism to showcase Andhra Pradesh’s seafood cuisine to international guests.