Aqua exports reach Rs 16000 crore mark, says Pulla Rao

Andhra Pradesh was receiving Rs 16,000 crore worth foreign exchange by aqua exports, Agriculture Minister Prattipati Pulla Rao said on Saturday. Speaking on the occasion of opening GMR Hatcheries at Dagadarti in Nellore district, the Minister said that the Chief Minister wanted aqua culture to be treated on a par with agriculture. Both fishermen and farmers would be brought under the ambit of Chandranna Bima programme. An aqua university in the private sector was allowed to be opened, he added. Fish markets in the State would be modernized, he added. An eastern gateway project was also being completed, he said. An import target of 2.7 million tonnes was fixed for next year, he added. Pulla Rao was accompanied by Ministerial colleagues Devineni Uma, Narayana and Sidda Raghavarao.