MANGALURU: The export of chilled fish from the coastal region of Karnataka to foreign countries via air is expected to resume soon after a gap of five years. The fish was earlier flown by Air India flights but stopped due to recession, falling prices in the international market and complaints about improper packaging and leakage.
Fisheries Minister S Angara said the matter has been taken up with Air India and two other airlines and a process to resolve technical issues will be completed soon. Harish Kumar, Joint Director, Dakshina Kannada Fisheries Department, told The New Indian Express,
“The airlines are refusing to carry chilled fish from Mangalore International Airport. As a result, the fish caught from Mangaluru and Malpe ports is being transported in trucks by road to Bengaluru, Goa, Kozhikode or Thiruvananthapuram, and from there it is exported overseas, especially to the Middle East. But it is a costly affair and consumes a lot of time. The minister has discussed the matter with the airline authorities and the services are likely to resume, but with conditions.”
The authorities also say that the packaging of fish should be of international standards for services to resume. On an average 70,000 metric tonne of fish is exported from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi annually via cargo ships.