Citizens’ Research Collective on SEZ

Hyderabad, January 08, 2008: The first exclusive marine product Special Economic Zone (SEZ) on the East Coast will come up over an area of 260 acres at Kara Agraharam near Machilipatnam as a joint venture between Andhra Pradesh and the Kochi-based Central undertaking Marine Products Exports Development Agency (MPEDA).

The SEZ project was cleared on January 5 by the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) at its meeting at Kochi chaired by Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar.
Ideal choice

A marine product SEZ for the West Coast is already functioning in Gujarat.

While West Bengal and Tamil Nadu lobbied for the East Coast SEZ, the choice fell on Machilipatnam for three reasons—the land identified belongs to the Government, proximity to the upcoming port and road/rail connectivity and drinking water availability from Bandar Canal branching off from the Krishna.

State Fisheries Minister M. Buddha Prasad, who attended the NFDB meeting, told reporters here on Monday that over 40 units that would be engaged in value addition to the marine products, could be established in the SEZ, each leased out to a private party. This would give a huge boost to employment in Krishna, East and West Godavari districts.
Positive outcomes

The other positive outcomes of the NFDB meeting included the decision to revive the defunct boat building yard at Kakinada with improved technology, clearance to a project to develop a centre to produce ornamental fish for aquariums on the lines of the one at Kollathur near Chennai, approval to set up a Rs 30-crore multiplication centre at Battigolluru in Srikaklaulm district to produce virus-free fish seed.

Mr Buddha Prasad announced enhancement of the ex gratia for accidental death of a fisherman to Rs 1 lakh from Rs 50,000, introduction of a “Matsya Mithra scheme” involving 283 fisherwomen cooperative societies to supplement the income of their families and a Rs 60-crore scheme” to increase fish seed production to 16 lakh tonnes by 2011 with NFDB giving a subsidy of Re 1 on each fingerling given by NFDB.

The Minister regretted that the area sunder shrimp cultivation had come down in the State drastically due to outbreak of a virus.

Source: The Hindu