Fisheries Minister Mopidevi Venkataramana has announced that the State government prepared a plan to establish eight harbours and four fish landing points in the State by 2022 by spending ₹3,000 crore.
Speaking to newsmen here on Friday, Mr. Venkataramana said once the plan materialises, marine fishing and marketing within the State would get a fillip.
“A target has been set to develop an aquatic quarantine facility (AQF) in Payakaraopeta area of Visakhapatnam district in a year to ensure a State-of-the-art quarantine facility for the Vennamei broodstock being imported for cultivation in the State. A sum of ₹35 crore is being spent on it." The broodstock of vennamei being imported from the USA would be quarantined in the the facility for five days to detect any disease before permitting it for cultivation.
In Andhra Pradesh, the vennamei farmers had been struggling with the spread of the White Spot Disease reported in its cultivation in recent years and it also led to rejection of the consignments from the State by the European Union.
Aqua labs
Mr. Venkataramana, who is also the In-charge Minister for East Godavari district, said that the State government was taking steps to set up 35 aqua labs, providing technical investigations on the aqua seed, feed, and water parameters at the local level.
Deputy Chief Minister Pilli Subhash Chandrabose, East Godavari Collector D. Muralidhar Reddy and other officials accompanied Mr. Venkataramana during the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Fisheries Department office building in Kakinada.
