KOCHI: Fisheries being a sunrise sector, there is a need to focus on development of infrastructure, said Union Minister of State for Fisheries Dr L Murugan in Kochi on Saturday.
The minister who arrived in Kochi on a six-day visit to review the functioning of fisheries institutes, said the country needed skilled manpower in the fisheries sector as there is more potential in coastal regions for fishing and related activities. Hence, it is essential to focus on training activities.
He said the Centre has spent Rs 32,500 crore in the fisheries sector during the past eight years, while the entire investment was Rs 3,000 crore during the past 65 years after Independence.
An investment of Rs 20,000 crore has been sanctioned for the development of landing centres, post-harvest cold storage facilities, modernisation of fishing harbours and inland fisheries by the Centre, he said.
An allocation of Rs 7,500 crore has been made to the states for development of fishing harbours and landing centres from the Fisheries Infrastructure Development Fund.
The Kochi Fishing Harbour is being modernised on a par with international standards for which `120 crore has been allocated.