Solar dryers to ensure hygienic dried fish

In a first for Tamil Nadu, solar dryers will be set up in two places in Nagapattinam to prepare dry fish hygienically.

NAGAPATTINAM: In a first for Tamil Nadu, solar dryers will be set up in two places in Nagapattinam to prepare dry fish hygienically. The way karuvadu (dry fish) is prepared in the harbours of Nagapattinam and Pazhayar will change once these dryers, worth Rs 3.09 crore, are set up. The announcement of introducing the solar fish dryers was made by CM Edappadi K Palaniswami in the Assembly.

“The design, planning and installation of the dryers would be done in consultation with Central University of Fisheries Technology (CIFT) and Tamil Nadu Fisheries University (TNFU). The facility will allow fisherfolk to dry their fish at nominal rents fixed and collected by the harbour management committee. The fish will be more hygienic, systematic and organised,” said a senior fisheries department official. Funds would be provided from the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) given by NABARD.

Nagapattinam district is an important source of dry fish for export to States like Kerala. However, question of hygiene has been often raised. Fisherfolk often dry the fish around open sewage and wastewater next to the harbour. The fish are also dried on the ground as there is no concrete platform till now on which they could be placed. Officials said the solar drying facility would feature a concrete platform for manual drying of fish in both harbours.

The dryers will include solar panels in glass-enclosed structures to provide a ‘greenhouse’- like environment. Fish would be placed on racks in several trays in the oven. The ovens would be fed with heat from the solar panel boards adjacent to the oven. This method significantly improves the drying time for fish.  Officials said the solar dryers could also feature additional equipment like back-up heating systems using LPG, electricty and biomass to achieve elevated temperatures in unfavourable weather conditions.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com