Odisha signs MoU with MPEDA for setting up modern lab to test marine products

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Nov 5:

In a bid to boost export of marine products from the state, the Odisha government signed an agreement with the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) to set up an ultra modern laboratory here today.

A lease agreement to provide 0.5 acre of land at Kausalyaganga, on the city outskirts for setting up the laboratory was signed between the additional secretary Fisheries and Animal Resources Development department of the state government and secretary MPEDA at the state secretariat here.

One of the most important quality parameters insisted on by all major seafood importing countries is chemical residues (antibiotic & pesticides).

Some countries require the exporting country to have an effective residue control plan. Some major importing countries have mandatory requirement of a test report from an officially approved/accredited labs that chemical residues in seafood are absent or within permitted levels.

The laboratory will be able to analyze samples to detect the presence of the chemical residues (antibiotic & pesticides).

Setting up of the laboratory will help the farmers and exporters of fish and fishery products to test their samples conveniently and take corrective action when required.

An estimated Rs 15 crore will be invested in the proposed laboratory. The laboratory will cater to the needs of fish farmers of Odisha and West Bengal.

The standards/limits fixed for chemical residues are often nil or part per billion and call for setting up of modern laboratory equipped with latest high precision analytical instruments requiring heavy investment.

MPEDA has set up three such state of the art labs for carrying out the above task. Two of them are located in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala and the one proposed here will be the fourth in the country.

Establishment of Quality Control Laboratory has been the need of the hour for sustainability of the aquaculture, which is playing a major role in generating employment, providing nutrient and earning foreign currency for the country.