Vizag set to improve its reputation as India's top seafood export hub

Visakhapatnam Port exported about 2.16 lakh tonne of marine products, while Kochi shipped 1.43 lakh tonne, Kolkata 1.16 lakh tonne, Krishnapatnam 64,230 tonne and Kakinada 8,968 tonne during the last fiscal

Visakhapatnam: The plan to develop Visakhapatnam Fishing Harbour with world-class facilities at a cost of Rs 152.81 crore will further strengthen the ecosystem in the city as the leading hub for export of frozen shrimp and other high-value fish to the United States, China, Japan, European Union and South East Asia.

"The improvement of air cargo facilities at Visakhapatnam International Airport will also give a boost to export business from the city. What we are insisting is that the authorities should help local fishermen modernise their boats and fishing techniques and provide cold storage and processing facilities to improve their export quotient," Arjili Dasu, All India General Secretary of National Forum, told Bizz Buzz on Tuesday.

He said besides dry fish exports, there are immense prospects to export tuna by airlifting it to Japan and other destinations. Crab and lobsters also have huge demand, he pointed out.

Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA), which is under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has finalised the Detailed Project Report for modernisation of fishing harbour at an estimated cost of Rs 152.81 crore under the Central Sector in convergence with Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) of Department of Fisheries, Government of India and Sagarmala Scheme. The issue came up for review during the recent visit of Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal.

According to official sources, Visakhapatnam Port exported about 2.16 lakh tonne of marine products, while Kochi shipped 1.43 lakh tonne, Kolkata 1.16 lakh tonne, Krishnapatnam 64,230 tonne and Kakinada 8,968 tonne during the last fiscal.

The Ministry of Commerce has set a target to achieve seafood export of $8,868 million during 2022-23 after India did exceedingly well during 2021-22 despite the challenges posed by the pandemic. The ambitious target for the year necessitates an almost 15 per cent increase over the previous year.

Visakhapatnam has retained the top slot in seafood exports in India during 2021-22. Besides Visakhapatnam, the other ports which find a place among top five export centres in India include Kolkata, Kochi, Chennai and JNPT which together contributed 69.65 per cent in US dollar terms.