New Delhi: The Union Fisheries ministry on Wednesday approved a Rs 199.24-crore smart and integrated fishing harbour at Mayabunder in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, with 100 per cent central funding under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY).
Aligned with the Blue Port Initiative, the harbour will feature safe landing and berthing facilities for 430 fishing vessels and handle an annual fish landing capacity of 9,900 tonnes. It will be equipped with IoT-enabled systems and the latest technology to support operations. The project is expected to generate employment across the fisheries value chain.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands possess a vast marine resource base with 6 lakh sq km of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and an estimated 60,000 MT of tuna and tuna-like species, including 24,000 MT of Yellowfin and 2,000 MT of Skipjack tuna. To catalyse investment, the Fisheries Ministry organised an Investors Meet on November 14, 2024, at Swaraj Dweep under Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh.
Meanwhile, Union Fisheries secretary Abhilaksh Likhi on Wednesday interacted with champion fish farmers from across the country through a video conference to discuss their experiences in adopting scientific and modern aquaculture practices.
A total of 59 champion fish farmers, including a Padma Shri awardee, participated in the interaction.