Qatar has lifted its temporary ban on the import of frozen seafood from India, paving the way for enhanced exports to the West Asian country.
The ban was imposed in November last year, just ahead of the FIFA World Cup following the alleged detection of Vibrio cholera from a few consignments from India.
The Qatari authorities had informed India that the ban was temporary owing to a lack of sufficient testing laboratories in the Gulf country in the run-up to the football event.
The Ministry of Commerce and the Embassy of India in Qatar had since been making constant efforts to resolve the issue. A series of discussions were held between the two sides, leading to the February 16 notification lifting the ban on frozen seafood. However, restrictions continue on the export of chilled seafood.
“This week is proving to be very good for the seafood exporters in India, considering a similar lifting of suspension by China. We hope that the restrictions by Qatar on the chilled seafood will also be cleared soon after a reassessment of the situation,” said MPEDA Chairman DV Swami, who is in the city in connection with the February 15-17 India International Seafood Show.