Sri Vijaya Puram, May 12: The Department of Fisheries, A&N Administration, in collaboration with Central Institute of Fisheries Nautical and Engineering (CIFNET), Kochi and funded by National Fisheries Development Board under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Govt. of India has organized a week-long exposure visit to Kochi and Udupi from May 11 to 16 for six nominated fisheries cooperative representatives/fishermen from the South Andaman and N&M Andaman districts.
The nominated trainees include the Chairman of the A&N Fisheries Co-operative Federation, South Andaman; Chairman of the District Fisheries Co-operative Federation of North and Middle Andaman; applicants of Deep-Sea Fishing Vessels under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY); and owners of mechanized fishing vessels engaged in longline fishing operations from the Fisheries Landing Centre (FLC), Junglighat.
The exposure visit has a significant importance in view of the declaration of the Tuna Cluster in the A&N Islands in November 2025. The Tuna Cluster initiative aims to promote sustainable tuna fisheries, strengthen deep-sea fishing infrastructure, enhance fishermen’s income, and establish an integrated value chain for tuna harvesting, processing, value addition, and export.
On the first day of the exposure visit, the trainees underwent an informative and practical session at CIFNET on proper handling methods to achieve sashimi-grade tuna quality and maintain hygienic onboard fish handling practices. The training included hands-on demonstrations and practical exposure, which will help the beneficiaries enhance fish quality, improve market value, and adopt scientific post-harvest handling techniques.
The trainees were also introduced to advanced onboard preservation systems, icing techniques, grading methods, and hygienic handling protocols followed in modern tuna fishing operations. Experts from CIFNET interacted with the participants and highlighted the importance of maintaining international quality standards to improve export potential and ensure better economic returns to fishermen.
On the second day, the trainees visited Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), Kochi, wherein the Assistant Director of MPEDA conducted an informative session on enhancing the global competitiveness of Indian seafood products by exploring the export opportunities from the A&N Islands. The session also covered various financial assistance schemes available for exporters, quality enhancement measures for tuna and allied fish species for both export and domestic markets, and the importance of adopting international standards in seafood handling, processing, and value addition.