Economics of cost of compliance with HACCP in seafood export units and its limitations for applicability in domestic markets

Implementation of quality control measures like HACCP is highly capital intensive, which cannot be borne by small seafood processing units. The cost of implementation of HACCP should be realized from the market price of products, which usually happens in the case of export oriented units. Domestic fish marketing in India is constrained by inadequate infrastructure limiting consumption to areas in the vicinity of landing centres. Even though the consumer is quality conscious, the low per capita income restricts access to high quality food items. This paper looks into the essential elements of implementation of HACCP plan and its cost applicability in the seafood industry. Domestic quality control in seafood can be achieved by economic measures, rather than by adopting high cost international quality infrastructure. To achieve quality, measures should be adopted right from capture of fish to consumption stage.