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Call to popularise use of low-cost fish

Our Bureau

KOCHI, Aug. 13

A MISSION mode project under the National Agricultural Technology Project for the development and popularisation of modern technologies for the production of convenience foods from low-cost fishes was officially launched here on Saturday.

Speaking on the occasion organised at the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Dr. K.P. Agarwal, National Co-ordinator, NATP, said the objectives of the project included development of fish-based extrusion products such as ready-to-cook delicacies, enhancing the shell-life of fresh fishes and fish fillets by packing in modified atmospheres and popularisation of the products and processes through workshops and training programmes.

He said the annual fish production in the country had crossed the five-million tonne mark and of this, nearly 30 per cent comprised low-cost fishes, which did not find favour as food and was not properly utilised. Often most of such fishes were discarded leading to the wastage of valuable and inexpensive nutritious food and also fetch very poor returns to fishermen. The development of viable and appropriate technologies for the utilisation of this under utilised resource was the need of the hour. The by -catch or low-cost fishes would find acceptance in the domestic and overseas markets, if only they were converted into various attractive value-added products.

Exotic Asian seafood dishes were becoming increasingly popular among the youth as well as cyber-shopping housewives in Europe and America. Dr. Agarwal said the development and popularisation of suitable technologies for the utilisation of low-cost fish a s convenience foods would help in substantial value-addition.

These technologies would also prevent wastage of fish, ensure better returns to the fisher folk, improve the nutritional standards of the weaker section of society and the urban middle class and generate employment especially among rural women and the we aker sections.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. K. Devadasan, Director, CIFT, said the project was of great significance to the country as it was designed to address several problems regarding the proper utilisation of the low value fish which did not find much marketing potential.

He said the international scenario was changing fast and the importers were insisting on stringent quality standards and newer types of value-added and ready-to-eat products. On a conservative estimate, it was computed that annually 1.5 lakh tonnes of fi sh were discarded as unusable.

Conversion of these valuable resources to attractive value-added and ready-to-eat products was the only way to avoid this regrettable wastage of valuable protein. The industry had to be guided properly at this crucial juncture to prevent India falling be hind in the international arena in this field, he added.