VIJAYAWADA: AP fisheries commissioner K. Kannababu on Friday said a three-day seafood festival will be organised in Vijayawada from July 28 to July 30, apart from Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Bhimavaram, Nellore, Hyderabad and Bangalore in the coming days.
The seafood festival in Vijayawada will be at the A Convention Centre, with Bhumi Organics backing the event.
The fisheries commissioner said though Andhra Pradesh produces 50 lakh metric tonnes of fish products per annum, their domestic consumption is very low. For example, 75 per cent of India’s shrimps are produced in AP. Most of them are exported, while their consumption within AP is less than 5 per cent.
Kannababu said in case prices of shrimps in the international market fall, farmers in AP will face huge losses. To overcome such situations, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy wants to expand the domestic market within two years for the benefit of fishermen.
The commissioner said although chicken, mutton and eggs are widely available in the open market, there are fewer outlets selling seafood. To overcome this problem, around 1,500 outlets have been set up and 26 hubs identified for distribution of seafood. 15 hubs are under construction and three are in operation, he said.
Regarding the seafood festival, Kannababu said aqua farmers, fishermen, representatives of seafood processing units, and citizens can put up stalls at the three-day festival. Fisheries department will set up 10 stalls, while Bhumi Organics will have its own outlets. Further, seafood cooking competitions, seminars with doctors and nutritionists, and a 2K run are being organised to promote the festival.
Bhumi Organics representative Raghuram, State Fisheries Department joint directors V.V. Rao and Hira Naik, and other officials were present.
