FOS SUSTAINABILITY IN ACTION INITIATIVE

FOS Sustainability in Action Initiative – Sustainable Initiatives of Friend of the Sea Attaining Importance among National/Regional/Institutional Fisheries and Aquaculture Webinars in India.

Recently published 2020 edition of UN-FAO flagship report “State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture” (SOFIA) clearly mentioned and highlighted the theme “Sustainability in Action”.

India is among one of the biggest fish and aquaculture producers of the world. Govt of India has a strong focus on “Blue Revolution” and Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) defines an importance of sustainable initiatives which states thrust would be given for quality, sustainability, standards and traceability in fisheries sector. It also emphasises on promotion of aquaculture practices, end to end traceability from “catch to consumer” through use of block chain technology, global standards and certification.

A National Webinar on “Value Chain Development in Fish Processing: Way Forward” was concluded last week which has included the series of lectures from 15-19 June 2020 and it was jointly organized by College of Fisheries, Central Agricultural University, Tripura and College of Fisheries, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Punjab. There were more than 150 participants represented different 19 States from India and segment wise contribution was more from students and academia but also from industry, reputed national and international organizations.

“The Certification and Promotion of Wild and Farmed Seafood: Sustainable Initiatives of the Friend of the Sea” was one of the major lectures covered in this national webinar which got wide response from the participants; presentation delivered by Mr Amod Ashok Salgaonkar, an International Advisory Board Member of Friend of the Sea and Organizers appreciated for sharing valuable information at this platform.

“Friend of the Sea’s mission, in line with the United Nations 2020 Sustainable Development Goal 14, is to use its ecolabel and conservation projects and campaigns to contribute to the health of the world’s oceans. Friend of the Sea is a Member Associate of INFOFISH – the project of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of United Nations. With the launch of blockchain enabled Sustainable Augmented Reality Audits (SARA), audit costs have been reduced drastically which supports the maximum number of companies to achieve their sustainable commitments through Friend of the Sea. We are doing everything possible to create “Strong Sustainable Food Ecosystem” and getting all time high support from India which may be possible to strengthen further in an alignment with Central Fisheries Schemes like PMMSY “ says Dr Paolo Bray, Founder and Director of Friend of the Sea.

Marine Product Export Development Authority (MPEDA) Director Dr M Karthikeyan has explained “Recent trends in Seafood Export” from India whereas Dr Naseem Akhtar, Managing Director of “Crescent Seafoods” spoke about “Seafood Value Addition & Export Monitoring in the light of HACCP”. Dr L N Murthy & Dr C O Mohan from Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT) aptly expressed thoughts on Seafood processing, quality, safety & marketing opportunities as well as smart packaging solutions for fish. Dr A K Balange from Central Institute of Fisheries Education (CIFE), Prof R K Majumdar, Dr Manoj Sharma were the other reputed speakers who given valuable insights about linkages between academia & industry, current status of fish consumption & marketing in north-east india along with major focus on blue revolution in India.

Dr Pramod Pandey (Dean, College of Fisheries, Central Agricultural University, Tripura) & Dr Kulbir Singh (Dean, College of Fisheries, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Punjab) were instrumental in arranging this National Webinar where as the Dr Naresh Mehta & Dr Vijay Reddy played an important role as an Organizing secretaries with co-ordination from Mrs Bahini Dhar & Dr Ajeet Singh. Recommendations were suggested at the end of National Webinar for further improvement of the fisheries and aquaculture sector in India.

22.06.20 by Fish Focus UK bureau