Start of 42 new micro-enterprises exclusively for fish processing has been planned in Nagapattinam under One District One Product (ODOP) tagline of the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme.
The Centrally-sponsored scheme meant to enhance competitiveness of individual micro-enterprises in the unorganised segment of the food processing industry, promote formalisation of the sector, and provide support to Farmer Producer Organisations, Self Help Groups, and Producers Cooperatives along their entire value chain, entails a subsidy benefit to the extent of 35 percent of the project cost to a maximum of ₹ 10 lakh.
The Nagapattinam district administration has put in place measures to implement the scheme through the Department of Agricultural Marketing and Agricultural Business. Assistant Agricultural Officers of Vedaranyam, Keelaiyur, Nagapattinam, Thalaignayiru, Kilvelur, Tirumarugal have been entrusted with the task of identifying prospective entrepreneurs under the scheme. The Nagapattinam administration has also assigned the task of streamlining bank loans to the beneficiaries through the District Industries Centre.
Under the Capacity Building component of the PMFME Scheme, the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM) and the Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology (IIFPT) have been performing a key role in providing training and research support to selected enterprises/groups/clusters in partnership with the State level technical institutions. With an outlay of ₹10,000 crore over a period of five years from 2020-21 to 2024-25, the scheme envisions to directly assist 2,00,000 micro food processing units nation-wide for providing financial, technical, and business support for upgradation of existing micro food processing enterprises.
Proponents of economic acceleration in Nagapattinam district have been emphasising for long the start of fish processing units, to ensure better prices for fish catches. At present, the fishermen find themselves necessitated to sell their produce soon after landing on the shores in the absence of storage and processing facilities. The bulk of the procured fish loads are transported to destinations in Kerala and the rest to Tuticorin for processing and export business.
