ICAR- CIFT Organizes International Training Programme on “Value Chain Management in Fisheries”

AARDO, in collaboration with the ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT), is organizing an Online International Training Programme on “Value Chain Management in Fisheries”, at ICAR-CIFT, Kochi, India between 13-16 September 2021 to share the different innovative approaches and programs adopted for marketing of fisheries by CIFT/India with the participants of AARDO member countries.

The broad objectives of the program are to share and sensitize the participants for Methods of marketing research, supply chain analysis, and management forecasting tools; Export markets and competitiveness; Issues in domestic and export marketing; ICT & GIS applications; and Market Decision Support Systems, etc.

Inauguration of Training Programme:

The virtual inauguration of this international training program began on 09 September 2021 with the welcome address by Dr. Nikita Gopal, Principal Scientist, EIS Division & Course Coordinator followed by program highlights by Dr. A. K. Mohanty, HOD, EIS Division & AARDO Programme Coordinator. The Presidential address was delivered by Dr. C.N. Ravishankar, Director, ICAR-CIFT, Cochin, Special address by K. S. Srinivas, IAS, Chairman, MPEDA, Cochin, Kerala (Guest of Honour) and Special address by Dr. Manoj Nardeosingh, Secretary-General, AARDO (Guest of Honour). The Inaugural Session concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr. Suresh, A., Principal Scientist, EIS Division & Course Coordinator.

Highlights:

• The program is being attended by seventy-six (76) participants working in relevant fields from twenty-two (22) AARDO member countries, namely, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, R.O. China (Taiwan), Egypt, Gambia, Ghana, India, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Liberia, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tunisia, Yemen, and Zambia.

• During this four days program, consisting of 14 technical sessions, the eminent resource persons from ICAR-CIFT will share their valuable experiences and elaborate on innovations and technologies to study trends in world seafood trade; Domestic market for fish and fishery products; Quantitative methods for the analysis of marketing-related data; Supply chain management and analysis; Market Information Systems (MIS)/ Decision Support Systems; and Consumer Behaviour Analysis. The program will be concluded on 16 September 2021.

Value Chain Management in Fisheries:

The Value Chain in fisheries is used as a managerial tool to reduce processing costs and improve the quality and productivity of the product and minimize distribution costs. There are many advantages of studying the value chain in fisheries such as increase the producers ‘share, increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the actors, quality assurance in product development consumer satisfaction, etc.

The value chain approach is a useful practical tool for assessing the status of the development of fisheries and aquaculture. It also analyses opportunities and constraints for future development. It is useful for the key stakeholders such as fishers, managers, and policymakers towards streamlining their activities in a cost-effective way. Many AARDO member countries are being encouraged to adopt the value chain approach to further develop their fisheries seekers.