The Union Government has declared that it will offer financial support for modernising seafood retail units in the domestic markets. The main reason for the subsidy was to ensure the establishment of essential infrastructure required to set up hygienic wholesale markets.
Mr P Krishniah, Chief Executive, National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) stated that a 20% to 25% extension has been planned on the existing subsidy on capital infrastructure. This would be utilised for upgrading or setting up new outlets that adhered to certain sanitation criteria.
The subsidy scheme would include large outlets that had an investment of up to Rs 1 crore, medium size outlets with overheads up to Rs 50 lakh and small units that had an outlay of Rs 10 lakh. As far as wholesale fish markets were concerned, the NFDB intends to offer grants for modernisation.
The Tamil Nadu Fisheries Development Corporation is setting up a Rs 2 crore state-of-the-art wholesale seafood market in Coimbatore. According to sources Rs 75 lakh have already been issued towards this project that is to be fully funded by the NFDB. Similar projects to be subsidised by NFDB are being planned in other localities such as Saidapet (in Chennai) and Vellore.
In addition to this, the State Fisheries Department is also in the process of launching a minimum of 100 new seafood retail outlets across the state. This development, which will also have the financial support of the NFDB, will be undertaken in phases.
A Joseb Raj, the Managing Director of the Oceanaa Group, which owns a modern seafood retail chain comprising four outlets under the brand Fish ’n Fresh, has spoken about the convenience of shopping at such retail units. According to Mr Raj, these units attract customers by offering a clean, sanitised, odour-free shopping environment, enhanced by transparent dealings and electronic weighing scales that make shopping a pleasurable experience.
Courtesy : http://www.tfpjonline.com/
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