Ice shortage disrupts operations at Vizag fishing harbour

Visakhapatnam: Ice shortage continues at the fishing harbour in Vizag city and is disrupting fishing operations and leading to financial pressure on the mechanised fishing boat owners and seafood traders.The National Association of Fishermen (NAF), Andhra Pradesh, attributed the deepening ice shortage during the fishing season to the arrival of more than 200 fishing boats from neighbouring states, which increased demand beyond existing production capacity. However, no new ice plants were set up to meet the additional demand. The fisherfolk said the ice shortage has delayed fishing operations, leaving some boats unable to sail on schedule and causing financial losses.As huge quantities of the available ice are supplied to mechanised boats before they leave for fishing, traders, exporters, and seafood packing units in the Vizag fishing harbour locality are finding it difficult to procure sufficient ice to preserve fish after landing, said Vasupalli Janakiram, honorary president of NAF. The shortage of ice has been affecting seafood handling and disrupting supplies to major markets such as Kolkata, Chennai and Bengaluru, he added.

The mechanised fishing boat owners said that ice, which used to cost fishermen Rs 1,600, is now available at Rs 1,800 per tonne. Vizag city has 12 to 15 ice plants on which the fishing boats and seafood packing units in and around the fishing harbour depend to meet their requirements. They have a production capacity ranging from 50 to 90 tonnes a day; however, there was a gap between demand and supply, leading to a shortage of ice, they added.Though the fisherfolk have been demanding to set up of new ice plants at the fishing harbour locality to meet the demand, unviable lease rentals fixed by the Visakhapatnam Port Authority were the reason for the delay in setting up new plants, the fisherfolk added. The govt must promote new plants through incentives and policy support to encourage the fishing industry, they added.