NACSA to help acquaculture farmers

Vijayawada, Mar 1 (UNI) The National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture (NACSA) at Kakinada, to be inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh on March 3, will enable acquaculture farmers to adopt sustainable and environment friendly farming practices.

Talking to UNI here today, Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) Chief Executive Officer Saifuddin Anis said the Centre would help the farmers to produce quality aquatic products like shrimps, scampi and fish for export and domestic markets.

He said Union Minister of State for Defence M M Pallam Raju would preside over the inaugural function and Andhra Pradesh Fisheries Minister Mohammed Fareeduddin would release the NACSA brochure.

Mr Anis said the NASCA would facilitate a link between aquaculture stakeholders and farmer societies.

The Centre would promote better management practices to improve aquaculture productivity and connect farmers to markets.

Mr Anis said though India was the second in acquaculture in the world after China, India lacked concerted efforts in maintaining quality supply chain.

The MPEDA in association with the network of aquaculture centres in Asia-Pacific and Bangkok was supporting the shrimp farmers in India for the last four years in adopting better management practices for disease control, coastal management and sustainable farming, he added.

UNI