MPEDA to Hold Grand Finale of Skill Olympiad on Seafood Value Addition in Chennai

CHENNAI:
India’s skilled professionals in the marine sector will vie for top honours in a first-of-its-kind National Skill Olympiad here on July 1, which aims to enhance skills in seafood value addition, build a trained professional pool, and raise awareness on quality.

The grand finale of the unique Olympiad, launched by the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), will be held as part of Seafood Expo Bharat 2025 in the city.

As a prelude to the event, MPEDA had conducted multiple rounds of skill tests for trained professionals across the East and West coasts of India to assess the practical skills acquired during training. The preliminary rounds of the Skill Olympiad were held in Kochi on May 29 and in Visakhapatnam on June 5.

Five winners each from the West Coast and East Coast were selected for the semi-final to be held at Chennai on June 30. The top four performers from the semi-final will compete in the finale of the Skill Olympiad on Seafood Value Addition.

The winners of the final round will be awarded cash prizes and mementos, with Rs 1,00,000 for first place, Rs 75,000 for second, Rs 50,000 for third, and Rs 25,000 as a consolation prize for the fourth position.

The Skill Olympiad will be witnessed by stakeholders, including officials from the Central and State fisheries departments, seafood exporters, foreign buyers, and other delegates of Seafood Expo Bharat 2025. SEB 2025 will feature an exhibition area accommodating over 116 stalls, with more than 3,000 delegates expected to participate. It promises to provide a vibrant platform for exhibitors and visitors to engage in meaningful business interactions, exchange technological innovations, and stay updated on the latest industry developments.

The products prepared by the Skill Olympiad champions will be displayed for the audience. Further, a tasting session of the value-added seafood products will be held in the MPEDA’s Skill Olympiad pavilion.

MPEDA Chairman D V Swamy said there are plans to organise the Olympiad annually to strengthen India’s seafood value addition sector and make the country a global hub for value-added seafood exports.

“The unique event, which is in tune with the Centre’s Viksit Bharat 2047, supports the goals of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) by promoting industry-relevant skills, recognizing trained seafood workers, and enhancing employability in the seafood sector,” he added.

MPEDA has trained over 2,500 workers in seafood value addition through hands-on training programmes conducted by both national and international experts. Around 4,000 workers are currently engaged in the value addition sector across India.

Seafood processing professionals have been trained in preparing value-added products having high demand in the international market. These include different categories of shrimp, cephalopods, and fish products such as Nobashi (stretched shrimp), breaded Nobashi shrimp, breaded butterfly shrimp, cooked PDTO shrimp, butterfly sushi shrimp, marinated shrimp skewers, breaded fish fillets, fish fingers, squid cut rings, breaded squid rings, and mixed seafood skewers.

India exported seafood worth USD 7.44 billion in the FY 2024–25. At present, India has 650 processing units with a processing capacity of more than 35,000 MT. Over 100 of these units are involved in the processing of high-end value-added seafood products, contributing to 10 per cent (USD 0.74 billion) of total seafood exports.

India aims to double the exports of value-added seafood products to 20 per cent of its total seafood exports by 2030.