Visakhapatnam, June 5 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday announced that the state government would develop an integrated Aqua Corridor connecting Amaravati, Bhimavaram, Kakinada, Visakhapatnam, Krishnapatnam and Nellore.

The event was attended N. Chandrababu Naidu, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister; Piyush Goyal, Union Commerce and Industry Minister; Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and Panchayati Raj; Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, Union Civil Aviation Minister; and Chirag Paswan, Union Food Processing Industries.

The proposed corridor will bring together research, innovation, startups and advanced technologies to strengthen the aqua sector and improve productivity at lower costs.

Addressing the national workshop on seafood exports here, the Chief Minister said that the state government is committed to creating a comprehensive ecosystem for development of aqua sector and positioning the state as the hub of India’s blue economy.

He also announced the launch of the “Andhra Shrimp, India Seafood” branding initiative to enhance the global visibility of Indian seafood products.

The Chief Minister described it as a positive development that Union Ministers representing four key departments associated with the aqua sector participated on a single platform to discuss the industry’s future growth.

He welcomed Union Minister for Fisheries Rajiv Ranjan Singh’s announcement of Rs 72 crore for modernisation of Kakinada Port.

The Chief Minister said the state government would allocate land for the regional office of the Union Fisheries Department within 15 days.

He urged the Centre to lay the foundation stone and commence construction within a month.

Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu called upon the Central government to support the establishment of Mega Seafood Processing Parks and facilitate greater seafood exports from India.

He reiterated the state government’s cooperation in implementing initiatives aimed at strengthening the aqua sector.

“The blue economy is critical to achieving the goals of ‘Viksit Bharat’. We must work with the vision of ‘Pond to Port, Farmer to Global Consumer and Blue Economy to Viksit Bharat’. Andhra Pradesh can play a major role in fulfilling India’s aspirations through the blue economy,” he said.

The Chief Minister highlighted Andhra Pradesh’s dominant position in India’s aqua and seafood industries.

“Future economic growth will be driven by the blue economy. Andhra Pradesh has abundant water resources, including the Godavari and Krishna rivers and a coastline stretching 1,053 km. The state accounts for 28 per cent of India’s fish production, 66 per cent of shrimp production and nearly 38 per cent of the country’s seafood export earnings,” he said.

The state currently produces about 19.7 million tonnes of seafood annually and exports seafood worth more than Rs 28,000 crore every year.

He noted that strengthening Andhra Pradesh’s aqua sector would significantly contribute to India’s overall economic progress and seafood export growth.

He emphasised that quality, sustainability, traceability, innovation and zero pollution are essential for long-term success in the sector and urged all stakeholders to work together towards these objectives.

During a joint press conference with Union Ministers, the Chief Minister said India had successfully navigated global challenges and expanded seafood exports to new international markets despite trade barriers and tariff-related issues.

Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu added that only about 12 per cent of seafood production currently undergoes processing and stressed the need for greater investment in seafood processing infrastructure.

He called for increased adoption of technology and innovation in the aqua sector and sought Central government support to address challenges such as rising fish feed costs.

He also urged restrictions on excessive fish meal exports and additional support regarding soybean availability.

He welcomed the Centre’s efforts to negotiate Free Trade Agreements and expand access to global markets, expressing confidence that Indian seafood products would soon reach kitchens across the world.

–IANS

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