The Tamil Nadu government has said it would take a number of steps to ensure proper utilisation of local potential for growth in the fisheries and animal husbandry sectors, such as promotion of inland fisheries and shrimp culture in the fisheries and preservation of indigenous livestock varieties and plans to strive towards self-sufficiency in the breeding of high-yield breeds of cattle for the livestock sector.
These announcements were made in the Assembly as part of the demands for grant of the Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries Department, by Animal Husbandry Minister TKM Chinnayya and Fisheries Minister KA Jayapal.
The policy note for fisheries stated that of the potential 4.5 lakh metric tonnes of production from inland fisheries, the State had so far achieved only 1.85 lakh metric tonnes. The announcements of 25 percent grant to inland fishers for the purchase of nets and fibreglass catamarans and 50 percent grant for equipment needed for inland fish culture were aimed at addressing this gap.
Jayapal also announced that a modern fish processing centre with ice factory and cold chain storage facilities would be set up at Kurichi in Coimbatore district. Other major announcements by Jayapal were studies for the setting up of fishing harbours at Jagadapattinam, Tharangambadi and Arkaduthurai, a corpus fund for studies on the establishment of fish landing centres and an expansion of the mobile fish marketing programme.
The animal husbandry sector is also poised for an inward push for growth, with Chinnayya announcing that the government would hold a workshop and an exhibition on the preservation of indigenous cattle breeds like Kangeyam, Umbalacheri, Burghur, Pulikulam, Alampadi and the Toda buffalo.
The government would also take steps to encourage the breeding of buffaloes, impart scientific training methods for raising goats, establishement of veterinary hospitals in Ramanathapuram, Perambalur and Nagapattinam districts and the establishment of a country chicken hatching centre at the Tirunelveli Veterinary College among others.