The Union government on Sunday rolled out a major infrastructure development plan at Cochin Port, part of a ₹7,500 crore push to modernise fishing and sea harbours funded partly by the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana-Blue Revolution programme.
Union fisheries minister Parshottam Rupala and shipping and ports minister Sarbananda Sonowal jointly laid the foundation stone on Sunday at Cochin for the ₹170 crore first-phase modernisation project to be overseen by the Cochin Port Authority. The project aims to make Cochin a global hub of fish trade.
India’s 7,500km coastline has 200 ports, 12 of which are classified as critical to the economy, including Cochin. The country’s main ports fall under the Centre’s jurisdiction, while the rest come under the domain of states.
“After modernization of Cochin port, the export of fish and fish products is estimated to be worth ₹1,500 crore annually,” Sonowal told HT.
The overall project is funded through grants from Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana and the Sagarmala scheme of the ministry of ports, shipping and waterways, aside from investments from a public-private partnership.
Modernisation of ports could boost maritime cargo with an average annual growth of 16% until 2020-26, according to World Bank projections. India is one of the major producers of fish globally, ranking second in aquaculture output.
{{/usCountry}}Modernisation of ports could boost maritime cargo with an average annual growth of 16% until 2020-26, according to World Bank projections. India is one of the major producers of fish globally, ranking second in aquaculture output.
{{/usCountry}}“The country aims to achieve ₹1 lakh crore worth of exports from fisheries sector by 2024-25,” Rupala said in a statement.
The project’s first stage includes construction of four air-conditioned auction halls, fish dressing units and a few ancillary units. Funding will also go into building internal roads, state-of-the art loading and unloading platforms, waste management plant, dredging operations and fishing equipment.
Four auction halls with mechanical retrieval and conveyance will increase the capacity of the fishing harbour by 415 tonnes of fish per day, the project’s details state.
Under the modernisation drive, 700 fishing boats operating from Cochin fishing harbour will get new technologies. “The project will support livelihoods of about 10,000 fishers and indirect livelihoods of about 30,000 fishers across the value chain,” the project document states.
The Blue Revolution scheme aids coastal states in developing sustainable fisheries infrastructure, envisaging an investment of ₹20,050 crore for five years from 2020-21 to 2024-25.
“The port sector faces numerous challenges. It needs to meet growing demand as well as compete with the larger and more efficient ports in the region, such as Colombo, Singapore, Port Rashid/Jebel Ali, Khor-Fakkan and Salalah,” a 2021 World Bank assessment said.