EU delegation to check hygiene standards at Gujarat ports

A delegation of European Union (EU) would visit various ports in India, including those in Gujarat this month, to inspect the sanitation and hygiene standards followed by the fishermen and marine products export units at the ports.

In 2007, the EU had imposed a ban on Pakistan for the export of marine products to European countries. The EU delegation had then found that fishermen and export units in Pakistan had failed to maintain the quality standards, before exporting these products.

The EU delegation is scheduled to arrive in India on November 13 and visit various ports in eastern and western India, Jignesh Vissavadiya, an official from Marine Products Authority said today.

"Members of the delegation would be divided into two groups. These groups would separately visit ports in eastern as well as western parts of India. The motive is to check the hygiene standards and practises at ports by the fishermen and export units," he said.

The delegation are scheduled to visit ports in Porbandar, Veraval and Mangroll, Vissavadiya added.

The members would be accompanied by officials of the Export Inspection Agency as well as the Marine Product Exports Development Authority, the official said.

"Ahead of the scheduled visit, the Fisheries Department, Marine Products Authority and Fishermen Association, have started organising awareness programmes and training sessions," PC Malli, an official from the Fisheries Department said.

The marine products export units and fishermen in Gujarat are gearing up for the visit by the delegation.

Gujarat has around 20 units that export marine products to European countries worth Rs2,000 crore every year, out of which, products worth over Rs800 crore are exported from Porbandar alone.