West Bengal has the potential to earn Rs 18000 crore to Rs 20000 crore from seafood exports in the next five years and the state government's recent ban on use of 20 anoitibiotics in shrimp aquaculture will go a long way in boosting revenue from the sector, an official of seafood exporters body said.
Traces of antibiotic residue are a major headwind for exports and a step toward preventing marine exports from the state, Seafood Exporters Association (SEA) president (West Bengal) Rajarshi Banerji said.
"The state government has banned 20 antibiotics in the state for use in aquaculture farming. We have achieved the feat after a decade-long fight," he said on Friday.
The West Bengal fisheries department banned the use of 20 antibiotics and other pharmacologically active substances in shrimp aquaculture on July 25 and has formed task forces at the district level to monitor it.
