First-ever seafood processing zone to open in Kolkata

The country's first integrated seafood processing zone is scheduled to be inaugurated in Kolkata on May 8.

The total project cost is around Rs 48 crore, of which Rs 23 crore would come from the ministry of food processing industries of the government of India (GoI), the National Co-operative Development Corporation (NCDC) and from Assistance to States for Developing Export Infrastructure and Allied Activities (ASDEI&AA).

The balance Rs 25 crore would be raised from private exporters and co-operatives.

The zone would start off from a 5-hectare plot east of Kolkata, close to the airport, Raj Pal Singh Kahlon, secretary, fisheries department, West Bengal, said here today.

"This integrated seafood processing centre will start with 10 processing units, all of which are major private sector exporters," added Kahlon.

The zone would have a collection centre for marine goods and a processing and packing facility to ship finished products, said Kahlon.

An additional three hectare of land would be acquired soon to accommodate more processing units.

"Three additional sheds might be put up in the augmented area," he added.

The integrated zone would speed up export-related processing and enhance the quality of products besides minimising chance of contamination. Quality would be the focus at the centre as it would be catering to the international market, added Kahlon.

West Bengal exports marine food worth Rs 600 crore, handling catch from all over eastern India. The construction of the plant has been done by Braithwaite, Burn & Jessop, said US Nundy, managing directorof the state agency Benfish.