SHAPHARI SCHEME

SHAPHARI SCHEME

Subject: Governance

Context: To bolster confidence in India’s frozen shrimp produce, the country’s biggest seafood export item, the Centre has kicked off a new scheme to certify hatcheries and farms that adopt good aquaculture practices.

Concept:

Shaphari scheme

• The scheme has been developed by the Marine Products Exports Development Authority (MPEDA).
• The certification scheme for aquaculture products is called ‘Shaphari’ – a Sanksrit word that means superior quality of fishery products suitable for human consumption.
• The Shaphari scheme is based on the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization’s technical guidelines on aquaculture certification and will have two components — certifying hatcheries for the quality of their seeds and, separately, approving shrimp farms that adopt the requisite good practices.
• The entire certification process will be online to minimise human errors and ensure higher credibility and transparency.