Fisheries Department joint director said nobody feeds the fish thriving in natural water bodies, calling them completely natural and healthy.
Published Aug 11, 2023 | 1:11 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 11, 2023 | 1:11 PM
A local fish market in Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh. (Creative Commons)
By Sharon Thambala
Despite being blessed with a coastline of nearly 1,000 km, where fishing is allowed up to 200 nautical miles within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEC), Andhra Pradesh lacks a reliable and robust domestic market for fish, shrimp and aquaculture products.
Now, the government has come up with a multi-pronged marketing strategy to address the issue. It includes organising period seafood festivals as well as opening up branded retail outlets.
Fisheries Department Joint Director VV Rao said the lack of domestic market subjects entrepreneurs, who spend a fortune in terms of money and time on aquaculture, especially shrimp, to the phenomenon of a “buyer’s market”.
This is where the Fisheries Department hopes that the food festivals, which they were organising with Bhoomi Organics, would play a role in popularising seafood, unearthing demand and connecting entrepreneurs.
“This year we got 5.75 lakh tonnes of marine fish. We have natural water bodies of 4.75 lakh hectares in the form of reservoirs, lakes and ponds where 10 lakh tonnes of fish is available,” Rao told PTI.
Further, up to 20 lakh tonnes of shrimp are cultured, resulting in total production of 52 lakh tonnes of fish, shrimp and aquaculture products per annum from all sources.
He observed that the lion’s share of shrimp — about 15 lakh tonnes is exported while only three to four lakh tonnes are consumed locally. He noted that “if we do not increase consumption internally, aquaculture entrepreneurs would suffer at the hands of processors and buyers”.
At a time when a kilo of mutton costs around ₹1,000 and many people are avoiding chicken for various reasons, Rao said nutrient-rich seafood, which is natural, is an excellent alternative.
He said nobody feeds the fish thriving in natural water bodies, calling them completely natural, healthy and also affordable, as they were available for as low as ₹50.
Raghuram from Bhoomi Organics said the term “organic food” was not restricted to groceries or plant-based foods alone, but also extended to any product that was chemical-free.
He said the fish available in the sea and natural water bodies were organic as they rely on the natural food chain, beginning with plankton and other aquatic organisms.
“Nowadays, chicken and milk are highly induced with hormones. These are causing hormonal imbalances, polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD) and several other health issues. All these issues are getting into the society and the next generation is getting impacted,” said Raghuram.
Fisheries Commissioner K Kanna Babu said as many as 4,000 food enthusiasts relished unlimited seafood buffets at ₹699 per head at the recently concluded three-day food festival at Vijayawada, where up to 10,000 footfalls were recorded.
Besides regular seafood festivals at several locations in the state such as Visakhapatnam, Rajamahendravaram, Nellore, Kurnool and others, Babu said hundreds of “Fish Andhra” retail outlets are being set up throughout the state under a hub and spoke model.
Out of 26 hubs, 15 are under construction while three are operational now, whereas the number of retail outlets will be increased to 4,000 by March next year from the existing 2,000.
Besides offering the option of ordering online, seafood will be made available in live and packed format while attractive subsidy schemes of up to 75 percent, training and handholding are available for entrepreneurs to establish outlets.
Despite these measures, Babu said a lot still needs to be done. According to him, though non-vegetarian food is highly popular in Andhra Pradesh, the average seafood consumption per person per annum is less than 8 kg, indicating an untapped domestic market.
Babu observed that entrepreneurs could not be left to the vagaries of international markets.
“Exports are not good now because of the global economic gloom, mainly in the US and to some extent in China. These are two big places where we export our aquaculture products,” he said.
The commissioner said these markets were ordering less and reducing prices, directly impacting aquaculture entrepreneurs.
He cited the example of South American giant Brazil. According to him, Brazil used to export a majority of the shrimp it produced but improved its domestic market to such an extent that it need not export.
Stating that though 75 percent of shrimp in India is cultured in the southern state, Babu noted that less than five percent is being utilised in Andhra Pradesh, calling for a Brazil-like development.
Kona Joseph, a veteran aquaculture entrepreneur, consultant, and editor of AquaTech magazine from Yelurupadu village in West Godavari district, called on the state and Union governments to promote fish consumption similar to how the National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC) promoted eggs.
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