The Hindu : Karnataka News : KFDC all set to make a turnaround

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Aug 16, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka

KFDC all set to make a turnaround

M. Raghuram

It has received a recovery package
of Rs. 10 crore
Rearing and marketing of ornamental fishes
to be taken up

MANGALORE: The Karnataka Fisheries Development Corporation (KFDC) is all set to turn around.

The corporation, which had been suffering due to lack of funds, has received a recovery package of Rs. 10 crore from the Government. This will help it in regenerating business ventures and restructuring its operations.

KFDC chairman K. Lakshminarayana told The Hindu that the corporation had received three packages of assistance amounting to Rs. 24 crore.

The first package of Rs. 4.12 crore had been used for restructuring human resources in the corporation and to pay statutory dues. The services of 100 employees had been upgraded so that they would get State Government’s pay scales according to the recommendations of the Fifth Pay Commission. The second package of Rs. 10 crore would be utilised for providing houses for the fishermen under the “matsyashraya” scheme. Nearly 2,500 houses would be built at Rs. 40,000 a house for poor fishermen, he said.

The Government had identified KFDC as a nodal agency for implementing the “matsyashraya” scheme, Mr. Lakshminarayana said.

According to KFDC Managing Director V.K. Shetty, the third package of Rs. 10 crore has been released according to the outlay in the Budget. Of this, Rs. 5 crore had already been received, he said. The first phase of development would involve modernisation of its kiosks in Bangalore. They would be modernised with state-of-the-art equipment to store and sell fresh and frozen fish, have a fish canteen and promote value-added fish products.

The three kiosks would be modernised at an estimated cost of Rs. 1.5 crore, Mr. Shetty added.

The KFDC, in an effort to link the advantage of value addition, had joined hands with a group of organisations at the national level to conduct research and produce value-added products, mainly ready-to-eat dishes.

Under the National Agricultural Innovative Programme, Kochi-based Central Institute of Food Technology would provide impetus to value-added product research and production through technology integration, Mr. Shetty said.

Initially inexpensive fish species such as mackerel and sardine would be taken up for value addition. The present KFDC headquarters at Hoige Bazaar in Mangalore would be remodelled and renovated for housing the state-of-the-art value-added production centre, Mr. Shetty added.

The KFDC would also take up breeding, rearing and marketing of ornamental fishes. Various other facilities such as ice plants at Mangalore, Malpe, Karwar and Tadadi and storage plants would be modernised and implant with energy efficient machinery. The fish meal plant at Karwar will be handed over to the private operator.

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