KOCHI: The Union budget gives stress to the fishing sector to tap the potential of the marine sector by enabling a framework for harnessing fisheries from India’s Exclusive Economic Zone and the high seas which can be beneficial for Kerala’s fisheries sector. Aiming to enhance India’s competitiveness in the global seafood market, the budget proposes to reduce the basic customs duty on frozen fish paste from 30% to 5% for the manufacture and export of its analogue products.
The basic customs duty on fish hydrolysate for manufacture of fish and shrimp feed has been reduced from 15% to 5%. Besides, the government will provide financial support for setting up a network of Nucleus breeding centres for shrimp broodstocks. Financing for shrimp farming, processing and export will be facilitated through NABARD.
“The budget proposal will help end the stagnation in marine fisheries sector and increase production. Facilitating deep-sea and high-sea fishing will help tap high- value tuna species like yellowfin tuna, skipjack tuna and other 10 speciest. The lack of infrastructure facilities in Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar seas has led to under-exploitation of the resources in these areas. Expanding fishing activities to the high seas can lead to a steep increase in production,” said KUFOS founder vice- chancellor B Madhusoodana Kurup.
However, mechanised fishing operators are apprehensive of the initiative to promote high-seas fishing. “We need a 50-m-long vessel with facility to catch, process and store 250 tonnes of fish and cost of such a vessel is over `100 crore. Though the government offers to provide a 50% subsidy, only corporates can afford to operate such vessels,” said All Kerala Fishing Boat Operators Association general secretary Joseph Xavier Kalappurackal.