Fisheries minister Dr. Seediri Appalaraju on Friday said for welfare of fishermen, ruling YSR Congress government led by Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is taking steps to increase consumption of fish products locally by providing alternative marketing facilities.
Inaugurating the second Sea Food Festival at A Convention Centre in Vijayawada in partnership with Bhumi Organics, the minister underlined the slogan “Fish Andhra – Fit Andhra”. He said the intention of the state government is to take fish to every doorstep.
Dr. Appalaraju revealed that Andhra Pradesh ranks first in country, producing 50 lakh tonnes of fish and its products. Though the state is top in production of fish and prawns, it is lagging far behind when it comes to consumption of these products. This is the reason why state government is organising sea food festivals to promote consumption of fish. The festival will continue in Vijayawada for three days and then move to cities like Visakhapatnam, Kurnool and Nellore.
The minister said steps have been taken to establish an aqua hub centre in each district, which will channelize fish to various outlets across the district. While 1,400 outlets have already been set up, another 2,000 outlets will be opened soon.
Fisheries commissioner K. Kannababu said as per instructions of the Chief Minister, an action plan is being implemented to increase consumption of fish and benefit fishermen and fish farmers of the state.
Bhumi Organics director Raghuram said fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are good for human health. He maintained that consumption of fish is much better than other meats. As such, his company is working hard to make fish available to consumers throughout the state, Raghuram added.