Vemireddy Raises In LS Threat To AP Fishermen From Tamil Nadu Boats
Fishermen of several coastal villages in AP are facing growing hardships due to unauthorised entry of mechanised steel boats from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry: Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy
TIRUPATI: Nellore MP Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy has sought from the union government urgent measures to protect the interests of fishermen in Andhra Pradesh, which has the second-longest coastline in the country with 974 km.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha on Friday, Vemireddy said fishermen of several coastal villages in AP are facing growing hardships due to unauthorised entry of mechanised steel boats from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
Specifically, he said fishermen in Juvvaladinne and Isakapalli of Nellore district have been suffering for more than 12 years. Boats enter Andhra waters from neighbouring states, exploiting local marine wealth, and destroying nets worth lakhs of rupees spread by AP fishermen.
The MP complained that raiders on boats often clash with local fishermen and seize the latter’s catch. This has created a sense of insecurity among traditional fishing families.
He pointed out that Andhra is one of the leading contributors to India’s marine fish production, deep-sea fishing, seafood exports and aquaculture. Fishermen of the state form the backbone of the country’s blue economy. But they are continuing to face serious threats due to deep sea vessels entering from other states.
Vemireddy said many fishermen now want to shift towards deep sea fishing. But subsidies under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana are insufficient, he maintained.
A deep-sea vessel costs around ₹120 lakh, while the subsidy is ₹72 lakh for SC / ST fishermen and ₹48 lakh for OBC fishermen. Most of the traditional fishing families are unable to raise their share of the cost. “As a result, even after the inauguration of the Juvvaladinne Fishing Harbour, fishermen do not have enough deep-sea vessels to fully utilise the facility. They require support to purchase medium-sized boats costing around ₹60 lakh,” the MP underlined.
He asked the union minister for fisheries to establish an inter-state coordination mechanism to prevent illegal boat entry and ensure regular monitoring of the coastline. Further, he wanted a special financial package and revised subsidy norms to strengthen deep sea fishing capacity of AP fishermen.