AP will become aqua hub: Minister Kollu

Excise Minister Kollu Ravindra has said that the government is working towards transforming Andhra Pradesh into a hub of the aqua sector. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday virtually inaugurated the Syam Aqua Processing Plant in Kurumaddali village, Pamarru constituency, with Minister Kollu Ravindra and Union Minister Srinivasa Varma attending the event.
Minister Ravindra urged that Andhra Pradesh’s fisheries and food processing sectors should serve as a model for the country in the future.
The Minister highlighted that Andhra Pradesh has a coastline of over 970 km, which supports millions of livelihoods. He said, “Between 2014 and 2019, we generated thousands of crores in revenue by exporting the state’s fish products to the international market. With the support of the central and state governments, we established aqua hubs along the state’s coastal regions and provided electricity at Rs 2 per unit. However, after Jagan Reddy assumed power, the entire system was disrupted. He imposed additional taxes through the Seed Regulatory Act, and due to similar exploitation in the feed sector, farmers were unable to access quality seeds and struggled with feed costs, which led them into debt. Many have abandoned aquaculture altogether.”
Ravindra also noted that even when farmers managed to grow aqua crops despite these challenges, they incurred heavy losses due to syndicates controlling the purchase process. He lamented, “The previous government destroyed the traditional fisheries sector under the banner of ‘Fish Andhra’, pushing many traditional fishermen into ruin. Jagan Reddy’s policies have deterred investors from considering Andhra Pradesh, with even major companies like Lulu deciding not to invest in the state.”
Union Minister Srinivasa Varma pledged to take steps to develop the fisheries sector by leveraging central government subsidies for food processing. He emphasised efforts to link the food processing sector with the MSME sector. The Union Minister welcomed the establishment of Syam Aqua, which will employ nearly 2,000 people, and expressed hopes that more units like this would be established. He also noted that while the state currently focuses on prawn processing, there is an urgent need to set up fish processing units.