The Aquaculture Stewardship Council has granted its certification to BMR Seafood Group, making it the first Indian shrimp farm to receive that distinction.
Andhra Pradesh-based BMR owns and operates 12 hatcheries and shrimp farms with 300 ponds, as well as a 6,000-square-meter shrimp processing facility.
“We are incredibly humbled to have been awarded such an incredible certification. We have always taken a multi-dimensional approach to our business, with our commitment to providing fresh, sustainable and great-tasting shrimp to our customers at the forefront of that. So to be recognized by the industry standard certification organization is incredible,” BMR Group Chairman B Masthan Rao said in a press release.
The ASC certification is the latest in a string of certifications the Indian shrimp producer has acquired. The company already boasts a three-star Best Aquaculture Practices accreditation and an “A” grade within the British Retail Consortium. The company was awarded Best Hatchery in India 2014 and 2015 from the Indian Ministry of Commerce.
“BMR prides itself on offering the highest quality shrimp to its customers, and ensuring they adhere to guidelines and rules set to ensure the future of the industry is at the forefront of that,” Rao said. “We are committed to sustainability both in the water and on land, and feel we are ideally placed to ensure best practices throughout our business to cement the future of the industry.”
In other company news, BMR recently completed a feed mill and is on target to distribute 60,000 metric tons of feed to about 1,200 Indian shrimp farmers. It has also installed a state-of-the-art laboratory onsite in order to provide its clients with access to online microbiological tests for safety and quality.
“We work to the strictest quality control standards and look forward to complimenting this by raising our own brood stock on the property, further optimizing the sustainability of our operations,” Rao said.
