Centre Sanctions Rs 72 Cr for Kakinada Port Modernisation; AP Assures Land for Fisheries Office
Visakhapatnam, June 5 (TNT): Union Fisheries Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh on Friday announced a grant of ₹72 crore for the modernisation of Kakinada Port, a move welcomed by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu as a major boost to the state’s aquaculture and seafood export sectors.
Speaking at the National Workshop on Seafood Exports in Visakhapatnam, the Chief Minister expressed satisfaction over the Centre’s support and announced that the State Government would allocate land for the regional office of the Union Fisheries Department within 15 days.
Naidu urged the Centre to lay the foundation stone and commence construction of the regional office within a month, assuring full cooperation from the State Government for all initiatives aimed at strengthening the fisheries and aquaculture sectors.
The Chief Minister also appealed to the Union Government to support the establishment of Mega Seafood Processing Parks and facilitate greater seafood exports from India.
He reiterated Andhra Pradesh’s commitment to partnering with the Centre in expanding the country’s seafood industry and improving value-added processing infrastructure.
Emphasising the importance of the marine economy, Naidu said the **Blue Economy** would play a crucial role in achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat.
“The Blue Economy is critical to achieving the goals of Viksit Bharat. We must work with the vision of ‘Pond to Port, Farmer to Global Consumer and Blue Economy to Viksit Bharat’. Andhra Pradesh can play a major role in fulfilling India’s aspirations through the blue economy,” he said.
The Chief Minister noted that Andhra Pradesh, with its extensive coastline, strong aquaculture base and leadership in seafood exports, is well positioned to drive growth in the fisheries sector and contribute significantly to India’s export targets.
He said investments in port infrastructure, processing facilities and fisheries-related institutions would further strengthen the state’s position as a hub of the country’s blue economy.
TNT KS
