Maritime Board to set up seafood parks

Visakhapatnam: ANDHRA Pradesh Maritime Board (APMB) has decided to establish integrated seafood parks in Visakhapatnam and other locations with potential to increase seafood exports.

Visakhapatnam is India's largest seafood exporting centre with the turnover estimated at over Rs 11,000 crore in 2018-19.

APMB Deputy Chief Executive Officer Lt Cdr (retired) BM Ravindranath Reddy, told Bizz Buzz that to raise exports from the State, the government was keen on augmenting existing infrastructure and creation of new facilities like cold storage chain and processing units. Value addition is of topmost priority, he said.

Stating that Visakhapatnam had bright prospects for multifold growth in volume of exports by encouraging tuna processing and other units, he said the government had already unveiled an action plan to construct fishing harbours at Machilipatnam, Nizampatnam, Pudimadaka and five other locations at a cost of Rs 3,000 crore.

Reddy said for the first time in any State, AP had also decided to construct greenfield ports at Ramayapatnam, Machilipatnam and Bhavanapadu on its own.

He said each port would involve an investment of Rs 5,000 crore to Rs 8,000 crore. The government wants to give the port facilities to private parties for operation and maintenance.

The government in 2018 entrusted the job of developing Bhavanapadu port in Srikakulam district to the Adani Group at a cost of Rs 5,000 crore by issuing Letter of Award. However, it later announced its withdrawal from the project following insistence by the YSRCP Government for certain changes in the concession agreement.

AP at present has a major port at Visakhapatnam and leading minor ports at Kakinada, Krishnapatnam and Gangavaram, located in the close vicinity of Visakhapatnam Port run by the Centre.

Now the major ports are emerging as landlord ports with the Centre deciding to give the berth operation and maintenance as well as construction of new berths to private investors under the build, operate and transfer (BOT) scheme.

He said the APMB had been mandated to give a big boost to port-led development and they had plans to promote marine tourism by seeking investments in marine resorts, cruise tourism and scuba diving resorts. Inland waterways is also another priority area for development, he added.