Cherthala Mega Sea Food Park to boost seafood processing and marketing

Our Correspondent

The Mega Sea Food Park at the Industrial Growth Centre at Pallippuram,Cherthala will give a fresh impetus to the seafood processing and marketing sector, which has been in the decline since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the April-August period, seafood exports have declined by 23.96 per cent as compared to last year. The export earnings have also declined by 13.96 per cent. The state had achieved excellent results through seafood exports in the pre-Covid period. During the last financial year, the export of seafood from Kerala was around 1.5 lakh MT earning Rs.5,020.33 crores. With the advent of the Mega Sea Food Park, the seafood processing sector is soon expected to return to the path of growth.

The construction of the seafood park being set up on 68 acres is nearing completion. In the next phase, the project will be expanded with another 16 acres. Currently, three seafood companies and a packaging unit are operating in the food park. The land in the park will be given to entrepreneurs on a 30-year lease. Twenty-eight plots have already been taken over by various entrepreneurs. With the completion of the park, an investment of Rs 500 crores is expected. Once fully operational, the park would generate about 3,000 directly and indirect jobs. The park will have food processing activities and value-added food production.

The Mega Food Park is being constructed by KSIDC under the Industries Department at a cost of Rs.128 crores. Of this, Rs.72 crores is being invested by the State government and Rs.50 crores by the central government and the remaining is a bank loan.

The food park has three components — the Central Processing Centre (CPC) for seafood collection, grading, quality inspection, freezing unit and cold store; the Primary Processing Centre (PPC) for seafood peeling, cleaning, sorting and ice planting from harbours; and the Collection Centres (CC). The PPCs at Thopumpady, Vypin and Munambam will also be connected to it. The park is well connected by road, rail, air and seaport increasing its marketing potential.

The park is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities like a warehouse, cold storage, deep freeze, deboning centre, fresh water, etc. The construction of 3,000 metric ton cold storage, a deep freezer with a capacity of 10 metric tons per day and a deboning centre with a capacity of 10 metric tons per day for fish thorn removal is in the final stages of construction.