The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Centre will not clip States’ powers in fisheries sector: Minister

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Tuesday, Jan 12, 2010
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Centre will not clip States’ powers in fisheries sector: Minister

Special Correspondent

K.V. Thomas commissions chilled tuna processing plant

Bill on fishing regulations to be tabled
in Parliament during next session
Tuna processing plant will help exports

KOCHI: The Central government will not clip the States’ powers in the fisheries sector while making new laws to regulate fishing activities, Union Minister of State for Agriculture K.V. Thomas has said.

Referring to the new bill to regulate fishing in India’s Exclusive Economic Zone, Mr. Thomas said that certain regulations were necessary to increase yield from deep-sea fishing and to introduce new technologies and practices. These curbs were also necessary in view of security threats.

He said the new bill would be presented in the next session of Parliament after consulting different stakeholders. All the fishing States would be consulted before finalising the draft bill, he said.

Mr. Thomas was speaking after commissioning the Rs. 3-crore chilled tuna processing plant built by the National Institute of Fisheries Post Harvest Technology and Training (NIFPHATT) here on Monday.

He hoped the plant would give a boost to the export of value-added tuna. Such plants would be set up in Vizag and other important fishing centres.

Speakers pointed out that the plant would facilitate export of ‘Sashimi’ grade tuna which commanded a high price on the international market, especially in Japan (‘Sashimi’ is a favourite fish dish in Japan; uncooked tender slices of premium quality tuna are served raw as the first course at formal dinners). Anwar Hashim, president, Seafood Exporters’ Association of India, said Sashimi-grade tuna fetches between $15 and $35 a kg while the ordinary tuna gets only a fraction of that price.

Tarun Sridhar, Joint Secretary (Fisheries), in the Union Ministry of Agriculture, said tuna was underexploited in the Indian waters and that hardly a third of the tuna potential was being tapped.

P. Rajeev and Charles Dias, MPs; Dominic Presentation MLA; Mayor Mercy Williams; MPEDA chairperson Leena Nair; and S. Girija, director, NIFPHATT, spoke at the commissioning ceremony.

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