Fishermen Seek Higher Diesel Subsidy, Urgent Government Support

Visakhapatnam: Representatives of Andhra Pradesh's mechanised fishing sector have requested the state and central governments to provide them immediate financial support, citing rising diesel prices, delays in financial assistance, and shortage of essential infrastructure.

In separate representations submitted to the Andhra Pradesh Fisheries commissioner Ramashankar Naik and Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) chairman P. Jawahar, East Coast Mechanised Fishing Boat Owners Association of India president Vasupalli Janakiram said fishermen, boat owners, traders, and exporters are facing mounting financial pressures.

Among the reasons, he says, is delay in disbursement of assistance under the Matsyakara Sevalo scheme and malfunctioning diesel subsidy smart cards.

Janakiram said the increase in diesel prices to more than ₹105 per litre significantly raised the operational costs. He sought an increase in the diesel subsidy from the existing ₹9 per litre to ₹25 per litre and urged the government to adopt a model similar to Karnataka and Gujarat, where subsidy benefits are extended to up to 5,000 litres of diesel for mechanised fishing boats.

The association president highlighted the acute shortage of ice, alleging that inadequate production is leading to fish getting spoiled during storage and transportation, resulting in losses to fishermen and exporters. He sought government support for establishing new ice plants through capital subsidies, concessional loans, and power incentives.

According to association members, the fisheries commissioner and MPEDA chairman assured them that their representations would be forwarded to the Andhra Pradesh government and the Union Ministry of Fisheries for consideration.

Janakiram warned that fishermen's associations would launch state-wide democratic protests if their issues remained unresolved, as the livelihood of coastal fishing communities is at stake.