Fisheries is registering a growth rate of 31 per cent and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is ready to encourage such sectors, according to Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries Prathipati Pulla Rao. Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Mr. Pulla Rao said ice boxes, mopeds, nets and fishing kits were distributed to 4,590 beneficiaries spending Rs 12.15 crore on the occasion of the World Fisheries Day at Suryalanka in Guntur. The Minister said that he released juvenile fish and crabs into the sea as part of marine ranching in Suryalanka to mark the World Fisheries Day. The Minister said that four marine cultivation centres were pending Central clearance at Visakhapatnam and Suryalanka. While two multiplication centres were being planned at Visakhapatnam, a sea bass and mud crab cultivation centres were being planned at Suryalanka, he said. GPS equipment was being given to fishing boats for easy location if they were lost at sea. A four-lane road with central divider would be laid en route the Suryalanka beach within a year, Mr. Pulla Rao said while speaking at Bapatla in Guntur district. The four-lane road being laid at a cost of Rs.8 crore would give a fillip to the development of the Suryalanka beach front and make it a popular tourist destination, Mr. Pulla Rao said. In addition to the cottages built by the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation, the beach front would have more amenities for tourists, he said. The Minister also said that the road connecting the town to the beach road would be further widened after payment of due compensation to the owners of commercial properties. MLC Annam Satish Prabhakar, former MLA Manthena Ananth Verma and MPP Manam Vijetha were present. Fishermen, aqua farmers and others who engaged in fishing activity observed the World Fisheries Day in Machilipatnam. The Fisheries Department conducted a special programme here documenting the problems being faced by the fishermen. Fisheries Department Joint Director P. Koteswara Rao and members of Krishna District Fishermen Welfare Association discussed various aquaculture practices and sustainable fishing methods. Mr. Koteswara Rao promised necessary support in terms of supplying nets and distribution of diesel on subsidy basis.
2016, The Hindu