MANGALURU: Based on a request from the state government, the College of fisheries will soon prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for setting up dry fish curing yards in the three districts of coastal Karnataka.
Speaking on the sidelines of a three-day training programme for fisherwomen, organised jointly by the College of Fisheries and the coastal development authority on Friday, B Manja Naik, professor and head, department of fish processing technology, College of Fisheries told TOI, “The government has asked the college to prepare a DPR for setting up a dry fish curing yard at Mangaluru, Udupi and Karwar. Traditionally, fishermen have been drying fish, but this is done in an unscientific and unhygienic manner, leading to the stench in the surrounding areas. Since there is a good demand for dry fish, we have decided to train fishermen to use the Solar Biomass Hybrid dryer as well as train them in branding and getting Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) certification for the products,” he said.
Dry fish segment constitutes 2-4% of the total fish production in India and the aim is to increase the dry fish export by introducing technology. The three-day workshop will cover all aspects and the women will also be given field training.
In the first batch, 22 women are being trained and plans are to organise more such programmes. Using the Solar Biomass Hybrid dryer will give a huge boost to the industry and the feedback from women at the training programme will be incorporated in the DPR, Dr Naik said.
The training programme was inaugurated by Coastal Development Authority chairman Mattar Rathnakar Hegde, who said that the training programme is being conducted on the lines of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for Athmanirbhar Bharat, which translates to ‘self-reliant India’ or ‘self-sufficient India’.