The Kerala State Coastal Area Development Corporation will soon distribute 400 catamarans with a subsidy of Rs. 40,000 for inland fishing, Fisheries Minister K. Babu has said.
The Minister made the announcement while introducing fibre boats developed by the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT) here recently. The boats currently used by fishermen for inland fishing are priced between Rs. 15,000 and Rs. 20,000, but they cannot be used for a long time. On the other hand, the fibre boats built under nano resin technology would cost around Rs. 30,000 per boat and they can be utilized for a longer period of around 25-30 years.
Twenty fibre boats were distributed to the Scheduled Castes Cooperative Society at Chellanam .