AP to host 3-day seafood festival in Vijayawada from July 28

Amaravati: Aimed at promoting the domestic market for fish, shrimp and aquaculture products, the Andhra Pradesh government is organising a three-day seafood festival in Vijayawada from July 28.

Nearly 20,000 visitors are expected at the festival, which will also host pisciculture entrepreneurs, fishermen, seafood marketing companies and related participants. The festival will have a stall and a seafood buffet at Rs 699 as a special attraction, and children aged below seven years would not be charged. Many more events including cookery contests for women and chefs would be hosted during the food festival.

In a statement, Fisheries commissioner K Kanna Babu said that they would take steps to conduct similar seafood festivals in Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Nellore, and Bhimavaram.

AP hub for pisciculture and shrimp

Though the state has emerged as a hub for pisciculture and shrimp with 50 metric tonnes of annual production, domestic usage is very less, said Kanna Babu. On average, a person consumes less than 8 kg of nutrient-rich seafood annually, he said.

Apart from the shrimp, the state exports frozen fish, crab, squid, and frozen cuttlefish. Kerala is the second largest state in terms of fish consumption after Laksawdeep. West Bengal, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka follow.

Citing the example of Brazil, the official said the South American country used to export a majority of the shrimp it produced but has now improved its domestic market to such an extent that it doesn’t have to depend on exports. He called for a similar development in the state.

Though 75 per cent of shrimp are cultured in the southern state, less than five per cent of that is being used in Andhra Pradesh while the rest is being exported, leaving the sector dependent on international prices. To avoid such circumstances, the domestic market should be developed, which will lead to the creation of the Fish Andhra brand, the official said.

Seafood in live and packed formats

Further, he noted that the state lacks sufficient retail outlets for fish and shrimp, unlike other non-vegetarian foods. Further on, the seafood will be made available in live and packed formats in 1,500 retail outlets through a hub and spoke model, he said.

Out of 26 hubs, 15 are under construction, while three are operational. To further expand the retail outlets and identify potential places across the state, the seafood festival will be used as a platform, he added.

Ready-to-eat seafood outlets in Vizag

The Andhra Pradesh government plans to introduce ready-to-eat seafood snack outlets in the state. As of now, 37 outlets were sanctioned in the Visakhapatnam district, one of the largest exporters of marine species. These stalls will be set up at tourist places, highways, university areas, and shopping malls.