The Karnataka Fisheries Development Corporation (KFDC), the oldest fish processing government entity in the country, is setting up its second modern marine product processing unit at Tadadi in Uttara Kannada district.
Through the plant, the corporation aims to add value to the marine catch from fishermen, get them competitive prices through exporting the processed products and also to make further inroads for marine fish into the hinterland of the State.
The first unit, functioning in Mangaluru, has the capacity to process nearly 500 tonnes of marine products with the modern processing plant being leased out to a private entrepreneur for its operation.
The Tadadi plant, primarily aimed to cater to marine catch from the coast of Uttara Kannada district, will have the capacity to process 750 tonnes of marine products, said M.L. Doddamani, managing director of the corporation. Located in Kumta taluk at the mouth of virgin Aghanashini, Tadadi is known as a natural harbour where the river has formed a vast estuary.
The unit is being built at an old building belonging to the corporation at Tadadi at an estimated cost of ₹13.34 crore. Of this, Union and State governments provide ₹5 crore each and the corporation bears the remaining ₹3.34 crore, Mr. Doddamani said.
It will have two blast freezers of 3 tonne capacity each to quickly reduce the temperature of the marine products to significantly reduce the metabolic process; one plate freezer of 800 kg to preserve processed products and a 500 kg per hour capacity individual quick freezer.
The unit would have 20.8 tonne processing capacity per day while the proposed ice plant can produce 20 tonnes of ice per day, Mr. Doddamani said. The refrigerated cold storage could store 750 tonnes of fish. The unit should be functional by the start of next fishing season, he added.
The MD noted that besides all these facilities, the processing plant would also have a waste water treatment plant, solid waste management and disposal facility and quality control lab to test products to European Union standards.
Mr. Doddamani said Karnataka coast has abundant marine resources, which if properly processed and exported, could significantly improve the life of fishermen in the region.
The corporation is continuously working in that direction, he said.
