Andhra Pradesh government will soon unveil a new fisheries policy to give additional incentives and facilities to encourage aquaculture farmers. Disclosing this in the Assembly during Question Hour here on Friday, Agriculture Minister P. Pullarao said creation of more cold storages would be given priority. Stepping up disease controlling measures, supply of prawn and fish seed at nominal prices by doing away with middlemen and quarantine facilities for fish and pawn hatcheries in Nellore and Visakhapatnam were other proposals.
Responding to YSR Congress members A. Anandarao, Suryarao and others who sought details of incentive schemes extended to aqua farmers, the Minister said Non-Agricultural Land Assessment (NALA) tax was waived and technical support, disease control and training facilities were being provided. He said the government identified fisheries as one of the growth engines and thus would promote fresh water prawn culture, cage culture in reservoirs, mechanisation in aquaculture for sustainable farming and development of fresh water fish brood stock centres and hatcheries for quality seed production. He also agreed to reduce the penalty fee for failure to register fish tanks.
He agreed to the suggestion of Mr. Anandarao to study the Chinese technology for transporting live fish instead of frozen fish to other States.
Mr. Suryarao said several farmers of Konaseema shifted from paddy cultivation to aqua culture and urged the government to set up aqua culture centre either in Rajolu or Amalapuram instead of Vijayawada which the Minister said would be promoted as aquaculture capital of the world.
Creation of more cold storages will be given priority
Andhra Pradesh government will soon unveil a new fisheries policy to give additional incentives and facilities to encourage aquaculture farmers. Disclosing this in the Assembly during Question Hour here on Friday, Agriculture Minister P. Pullarao said creation of more cold storages would be given priority. Stepping up disease controlling measures, supply of prawn and fish seed at nominal prices by doing away with middlemen and quarantine facilities for fish and pawn hatcheries in Nellore and Visakhapatnam were 
other proposals. Responding to YSR Congress members A. Anandarao, Suryarao and others who sought details of incentive schemes extended to aqua farmers, the Minister said Non-Agricultural Land Assessment (NALA) tax was waived and technical support, disease control and training facilities were being provided. He said the government identified fisheries as one of the growth engines and thus would promote fresh water prawn culture, cage culture in reservoirs, mechanisation in aquaculture for sustainable farming and development of fresh water fish brood stock centres and hatcheries for quality seed production. He also agreed to reduce the penalty fee for failure to register fish tanks.
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