PUDUKKOTTAI: Twelve private companies have applied for industrial plots at the upcoming Rs 38-crore Seaweed Park at Manganur village in Gandarvakottai taluk under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana according to fisheries department officials.
Collector M Aruna inspected the progress of the project on Thursday along with officials from the fisheries and rural development departments. The Seaweed Park, the construction of which is currently under way, was inaugurated by Chief Minister M K Stalin in March 2026 as part of a series of development projects across TN.
Officials said the park is being constructed at over 75 hectares in Manganur village and will be developed on the lines of a SIPCOT industrial estate with common infrastructure facilities. “91 industrial plots will be created, including 63 plots in Phase I and 28 plots in Phase II,” said a senior fisheries department official. The park will provide essential infrastructure such as internal roads, water supply, an administrative building, storage godowns, a security block, water treatment facilities, an overhead tank with a capacity of one lakh litres, raw and treated water reservoirs, and an effluent treatment plant.
Private enterprises engaged in seaweed processing and value-added product manufacturing will be allotted plots after signing memorandums of understanding with the government. “So far, 12 companies have submitted applications to the Directorate of Fisheries seeking allotment of plots which will be soon finalised as part of the first phase,” the official added.
Officials said the project is expected to strengthen the seaweed value chain by attracting processing industries closer to cultivation areas, thereby ensuring better price realisation for farmers and reducing post-harvest losses. Pudukkottai is the second-largest producer of seaweed in Tamil Nadu and among the leading seaweed-producing districts in the country. The Seaweed Park is expected to generate employment in processing and allied sectors.