Shrimp exports: Kerala seeks Centre's diplomatic intervention to lift US ban

Kerala is seeking a diplomatic intervention by the central government to lift the ban imposed by the United States on the export of shrimps in the name of sea turtle protection. The United States has said that the entanglement of turtles during shrimp harvesting can cause their destruction. 

Around Rs 67,000 crore worth of fish products are exported from India annually, of which Rs 2,000 crore are from shrimp. This is what will be lost after the ban imposed in 2019. Kerala will have to suffer a loss of Rs 1,500 crore out of this. Taking advantage of the US ban on shrimps, the European Union, Japan, and China reduced the price of shrimps exported from India by up to 41 percent, which was a huge setback.

Kerala has developed a device called TED (Turtle Excluder Devices) which is attached to the trawler to eject the turtles caught in the net while fishing, but it was not approved at first. Kerala is hopeful with the success of the test using the revised TED.