A new certification scheme is now available for Indian shrimp farmers who cannot afford the global certification schemes. The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) launched Saphari, a new certification system that guarantees quality shrimp post larvae (PL) and authenticates their quality in the highly competitive international market.

Shaphari, the “antibiotic-free certification”, is an end-to-end solution that enables Mpeda to audit the PLs offered by hatcheries across the country. The move comes in the context of top world bodies having identified a rapid evolution of drug-resistant bacteria called superbugs. As the WHO and the UN have identified the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria strains as a high-priority public health concern, farmers in India are bound to buy antibiotic-free PLs from hatcheries certified by a governing body.

The entire certification process will be online in tune with the government e-governance program. Exporters can use the certification as a credible proof while trading globally. It involves a real-time, four-phased audit recording. The scheme is in conformity with the FAO guidelines on certification of aquaculture.