Empowering the Future of Indian Seafood through Skill Excellence
India’s seafood industry has made remarkable strides in recent decades—not just in volume, but also in value. At the heart of this transformation lies seafood value addition—a process that enhances the shelf life, safety, and market appeal of marine products through modern techniques such as filleting, freezing, marinating, ready-to-eat processing, and packaging.
Value-added seafood products not only fetch higher returns in global markets, but also open up new job opportunities for women, youth, and skilled professionals in the post-harvest sector. Recognising this potential, the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) has been at the forefront of nurturing talent and strengthening capacities in seafood processing.
Interstate Skill Olympiad 2025: A Platform for Aspiring Seafood Technologists
As part of its commitment to boost competencies in seafood value addition, MPEDA, in association with its training wing NETFISH-MPEDA, organised the Interstate Skill and reward skilled youth trained under MPEDA’s various capacity-building programs and promote healthy competition across states.
Regional Rounds: Vizag & Kochi
The regional rounds were held in two key coastal hubs:
- 📍 Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh): Participants from Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu competed, showcasing their expertise in hygienic handling, precise cutting, packaging, and presentation of value-added seafood products.
- 📍 Kochi (Kerala): Contestants from Kerala and Karnataka demonstrated their hands-on skills and knowledge of post-harvest technologies in front of expert panels.
Both venues witnessed remarkable enthusiasm, with participants being assessed on technical accuracy, speed, safety, innovation, and product presentation. These regional rounds helped select finalists for the grand showdown in Chennai.
The Grand Finale at SEB Chennai
The final round of the Skill Olympiad was held at the Seafood Expo Bharat (SEB) 2025, MPEDA’s flagship industry event held at Chennai Trade Centre in Chennai from July 1 to 3, 2025. Finalists from the regional competitions showcased their finest abilities in front of leading seafood exporters, technologists, and officials.
The competition concluded with the announcement of Seafood Skill Olympiad Winners, who received awards and recognition for their excellence in seafood value addition.
MPEDA’s Role in Capacity Building & Value Addition
Through initiatives like this Olympiad, MPEDA continues to:
- Train thousands of youth, especially from coastal communities, in scientific processing and value addition
- Support seafood exporters by creating a skilled workforce
- Promote employment and entrepreneurship in the post-harvest sector
- Ensure India’s marine products meet global quality standards
The Olympiad not only motivates trainees but also gives them a stage to shine and find real-world job opportunities with exporters and processors.
A Step Towards a Skilled, Value-Driven Future
The Interstate Skill Olympiad 2025 served as a testament to MPEDA’s vision—building a future-ready seafood sector backed by skilled hands and innovative minds.
