Sri Vijaya Puram gears up for 2nd Andaman seafood festival

Sri Vijaya Puram: The Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration will organise the second edition of the ‘Sea Food Festival' on January 15-16 at the Marina Park here, officials said on Friday.

The festival will be a culinary extravaganza featuring a wide range of seafood delicacies for citizens and tourists, accompanied by music and promotion of local culture.

It will be jointly organised by the department of fisheries in association with the directorate of information, publicity and tourism (IP&T) and with financial support from the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), Hyderabad.

"We aim to promote seafood consumption culture and Tuna Cluster Development in the islands. Food lovers, chefs and bloggers from across the world are invited to visit Andaman and be part of this culinary festival," a senior IP&T officer said.

The two-day event will showcase the rich seafood diversity of the islands and highlight fisheries-based livelihoods. It will feature cultural programmes, seafood cooking demonstrations, public competitions, and interactive sessions.

The festival also aims to popularise the local seafood culture among residents and tourists, while promoting domestic fish marketing and consumption.

Awareness about flagship fisheries schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) and Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah Yojana (PMMKSSY) will be created through farmer-scientist interaction meets and outreach activities, officials said.

Stalls will be allotted to fisheries associations, entrepreneurs, cooperatives, aquarium shops, hotels, restaurants, sport fishing vessel owners, women's SHGs and NGOs to showcase fisheries-related products and services, including live, fresh, chilled and frozen fish, value-added products, seafood cuisines, aquariums, fish feed, and sport fishing services.

Andaman has a sea asset harvesting potential of around 1,48,000 tonnes per year, but the current harvest figures stand at around 49,138 tonnes annually.

"When it comes to Tuna, the current oceanic harvest is around 4,420 tonnes, but the actual potential is 60,000 tonnes. With around 6.0 lakh square km of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), it's time to tap the sea resources. We believe such a sea-food festival will also draw the attention of global investors in the archipelago," the official said.

According to official figures, India exported 17.81 lakh tons of seafood worth Rs 60,523.89 crore during 2023-24.

This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.