The port city will soon have a modern seafood processing and cold storage facility on the lines of those in Japan and China to meet the demand in Europe, south America and central America. The state government recently sent senior officials to the two countries to study their facilities. Major types of seafood products that are exported include frozen products, dried products, smoked products, canned food, fish meal, products made of fish oil and fish liver, medicines, and algae glue, among others. “AP State Warehousing Corporation chairman LVSRK Prasad visited Japan and China to study their seafood processing and cold storage facilities upon government instructions. He has been asked to submit a report regarding his visit to the agriculture and cooperation (marketing) department,” a senior official told TOI. The government also sent a team of officials to Vizag last month to identify suitable land for setting up the facility, said a senior official from the city unit of AP Infrastructure Investment Corporation (APIIC). “A team visited the city to identify nearly 2-3 acres of land for setting up the processing centres. However, there has been no further official communication till date about the project,” said an APIIC source. Dr VV Rao, joint director of fisheries department, said the modern seafood processing and cold storage facility will help in preserving seafood as per Exports Council of India (ECI) norms.
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