The Hindu Business Line : ‘Tuna fishing gathers momentum’

Tuna fishing in India has gathered momentum, after years of sustained efforts by the Government and the industry and there is no looking back now, according to Mr G. Mohan Kumar, Chairman of the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA).

He was speaking at the fishing harbour here on Friday evening, after flagging off 22 converted tuna long liners. Mr Kumar said tuna fishing was being popularised all over the country, including Andaman and Nicobar islands.

“Conversion of vessels, onboard handling, onshore facilities and proper training to the fishing crew are all vital areas in tuna fishing and exports. An integrated approach is called for and we can surmount the problems. It is not impossible to achieve the target of $500 million of export earnings we have set for ourselves,” he commented.

New vessels

Mr Kumar said the MPEDA had formulated a scheme for setting up tuna handling centres with a sizable subsidy component and “it is awaiting the nod of the ministry”. Besides, another scheme had been formulated for acquisition of new vessels for tuna fishing. “At present, we have a scheme for conversion of existing vessels for tuna long line fishing with a subsidy of 50 per cent, subject to a cap of Rs 15 lakh. But we have felt the need for a scheme for acquisition of new vessels too,” he explained.

Assuring the industry of MPEDA’s full support for tuna fishing, Mr Kumar said that unit value realisation was important in tuna exports. “Currently, some of our exporters are happy to export even for a dollar-per-kg. We should export at $20 a kg, which is the prevailing international price,” he added.

Earlier, Mr Y.G.K. Murthy, the President of the Association of Indian Fishery Industries, narrated the problems faced by the industry at length — the hassles in getting the subsidy, the problem of importing the bait required for tuna fishing, the lack of infrastructure and other related issues. He urged the MPEDA Chairman to address these issues in his next meeting with the Ministry.

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