Seafood processing units to come up in State.

Aquatic animal feed mills, shrimp farming, Tilapia hatchery and seafood processing units are to come up in the State at a total cost of Rs. 500 crore.

Sources in the Tamil Nadu Fisheries University, which facilitated the companies to invest in the State through the Global Investors Meet (GIM) held last month, said land had been identified at Kadapakkam in Kancheepuram, Thirupalaivanam and Thervoykandigai in Tiruvallur district and Agaram in Cuddalore district for these companies.

A. Kumaresan, director, Shenglong Biotech India Pvt Ltd., whose company is investing Rs. 100 crore in manufacturing 50,000 tonnes of feed and hatchery to produce two billion young shrimps, said his company was very happy to invest in Tamil Nadu.

“We have already sold 15,000 tonnes of feed to farmers. The market in India is very good. We had planned to set up our fish feed plant in Andhra Pradesh and were looking out for land. But when the Fisheries Department Secretary, Vijaykumar, said the government would facilitate fast clearance, we have decided to move it here. We are really seeing that things are moving fast,” he said.

Sources in the university said they had been mediating between the companies and the various departments, including the DTCP and the Coastal Aquaculture Authority.

'Since the Chief Minister said clearances would be provided through single window system, the processes are being speeded up,' said a source.

The companies would be able to provide employment to over 1,200 people. 'Fish feed companies are not many in our country. Since the annual growth rate for aquaculture is over 8 per cent, there is a good demand for feed,' explained the source.


THE HINDU