New Delhi: Qatar has lifted its temporary ban on the import of frozen seafood from India, paving the way for enhanced export and improved bilateral relations with the West Asian country, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a statement.

According to the statement, the ban was imposed last year in November just ahead of the FIFA World Cup following the alleged detection of Vibrio cholera from a few consignments from India.

"The Department of Commerce under the Government of India along with the embassy of India in Qatar had since been making constant efforts to resolve the issue. A rally of discussions with Qatar's Ministry of Public Health had been taken, leading to the February 16 notification lifting the ban on frozen seafood. However, restrictions continue on the export of chilled seafood," the statement read.

"This week is proving to be very good for the seafood exporters in India, considering a similar lift in the suspension by China. We hope that the restrictions by Qatar on the chilled seafood will also be cleared soon after a reassessment of the situation," said MPEDA Chairman Shri D.V. Swami, who is in the city in connection with the February 15-17 India International Seafood Show.

Earlier this week, on February 14, Beijing lifted the suspension of 99 Indian seafood-processing exporters after acknowledging India's assurance over source control. MPEDA along with other agencies had played a crucial role in getting lifted Beijing's suspension of a total of 110 units since December 2020.

"The lift on the suspension of the 99 seafood processing units was done on February 14 and is expected to raise India's export of marine products by 5 per cent to 10 per cent in the next financial year. The suspension of 11 units was revoked earlier," MPEDA chairman D V Swamy said.