Decks have been cleared for resumption of fishing by mechanised vessels from June 15, after the fishing ban period ends, by the district administration by convening a meeting of representatives of boat owners and exporters on Wednesday.
The meeting was conducted in the backdrop of demand by fishermen for fixation of minimum price for seafood items like cuttlefish, squid, shrimp and fishes that are that are exported in large quantities to France, Italy and other European countries. Procurement problem was a major reason for the reluctance of the mechanised boat owners to enter into the sea from the start of this month, despite the State Government’s decision to cut down the fishing ban period by a fortnight.
The concerns raised by both sides were addressed by the District Collector Praveen P. Nair in the presence of R. Amal Xavier, Joint Director of Fisheries; S. Pandiarajan, Deputy Director, Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), Nagapattinam; G. Sankaran, Lead District Manager, Nagapattinam; and Assistant Directors of Fisheries Department.
Representatives of boat owners raised concerns over what they described as low price offers by exporters. On their part, the exporters had expressed optimism for resumption of exports only from September. The importing countries had cancelled their orders, the exporters said. They also highlighted the difficulties they faced in transporting seafood products through the district and state borders.
The fishermen representatives sought subsidy assistance from the government to the exporters and for them as well for storage of fishery products till resumption of export activities. Responding to the demand of the fishermen for Kisan Credit Cards, the Collector advised the Lead District Bank to ensure bank loans for them.
Exhorting exporters to fix a minimum reasonable price for exportable fishery products, the Collector said the administration will correspond with the Chairman of MPEDA, Cochin, to resolve the issue by exploring the possibilities for marketing the seafood items to other European countries to safeguard the fisheries sector.
Necessary action will be taken for free movement of vehicles transporting seafood at the district borders. The district administration will also prevail upon the Director of Fisheries, Chennai, to ensure free movement of vehicle at State borders, the Collector said.