As part of the efforts to ensure safe and sustainable fishing practices, five fishermen cooperative societies from Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, and Malappuram districts will be provided deep-sea fishing vessels under Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY).
The project jointly implemented by the Centre and the State will equip traditional fishers to venture into the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extending 200 nautical miles beyond territorial waters. Instead of being dependent on the coastal sea with its depleting resources, the new vessels will enable the fishers to tap the unexploited fishery resources of the deep sea.
The beneficiaries of the project are 10-member traditional fisher groups who are members of the Fishermen Co-operative Societies. Union Minister for Fisheries and Animal Husbandry Purushotham Rupala will hand over the vessels to the fishers on May 4 at a function to be held at Neendakara. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the programme and Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal will preside over the function.
While administrative approval was obtained for providing 10 vessels, five groups will get the boats in the first phase. St. Sebastian belonging to Fishermen Development Welfare Cooperative Society Limited and St Antony belonging to Jonakapuram-Moothakara Fishermen Development Cooperative Society are the two groups selected from Kollam. The other three are from Muthalapozhi in Thiruvananthapuram and Malappuram.
The unit cost as per PMMSY guidelines is ₹1.2 crore out of which 40% is government assistance (24% Central share and 16% State share) and 60% is beneficiary share. But some additional amenities including extra storage, refrigeration facilities, and engine capacity were added to the vessels built at Malpe yard under Cochin Shipyard Ltd as per the demand of beneficiary groups. Each vessel was completed spending ₹1.57 crore and the State had sanctioned an additional financial assistance of ₹30 lakh. The remaining 70% of the beneficiary share was sanctioned as a low-interest loan through Chief Minister’s Entrepreneurship Development Programme (CMEDP) through Kerala Financial Corporation.
