MPEDA to launch 'Brand Equity' campaign for Indian seafood species

Kochi, Sep 11 (UNI) The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) will launch a 'Brand Equity' campaign to popularise Indian seafood species such as 'Black Tiger' in the overseas markets, MPEDA Chairman G Mohan Kumar said today.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr Kumar said MPEDA had signed a three-year contract with Lintas Personal to drive the campaign.

The initial budget estimate for the campaign was about Rs 20 crore. But it may go higher as the MPEDA wants to undertake a thorough drive, he said.

The major markets to be targetted are the EU, Japan and the US.

In the EU, the campaign would start with six or seven leading markets, he said.

The main objective of the exercise was to get better value and access for Indian seafood species such as 'Black Tigers' and 'Freshwater Prawns', he added.

Stating that India could be made into a major 'seafood processing hub', Mr Mohan Kumar said the MPEDA would also like exporters to upgrade their products to 'ready to eat' and 'ready to cook' forms.

Joint ventures and co-branding initiatives could be forged with foreign firms to enter the overseas retail sector, he said.

President of the Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI) Abraham Tharakan said the domestic market for processed seafood was set to see an ''astronomical growth'' with the entry of organised retail chains, which were accessing the fish directly from the harbours and providing it to customers in neat and hygienic packages.

''I think by 2010, almost 15 per cent of the plant load of the exporting firms may be diverted to the domestic market,'' he said.

He said the Indian seafood industry was worth about Rs 60,000 crore while exports amounted to Rs 8,000 crore.

At present, about five to ten per cent of the catch was wasted as 'spoilage', Mr Mohan Kumar said.

UNI