WHY OUTSIDE PLAYERS FOR BENAULIM HATCHERY PROJECT?

GUILHERME ALMEIDA | JUNE 24, 2021, 12:39 AM IST
WHY OUTSIDE PLAYERS FOR BENAULIM HATCHERY PROJECT?

The Benaulim prawn hatchery.

Photo Credits: Santosh Mirajkar


MARGAO
Hazard a guess where exactly did former BJP Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar usher in the Sao Joao festivities in Salcete after returning to power in 2012?

In the absence of any alternate venue, the sea-facing sprawling Benaulim pilot prawn hatchery came as a first choice for the revelers to host the festivities on the eve of the Sao Joao feast, around eight years ago when Parrikar visited the defunct hatchery with then Fisheries Minister Avertano Furtado and Benaulim MLA Caitu Silva in tow.

It’s another matter that the hatchery land, spread over an area of around 10 acres has been lying un-utilized since the unit ran aground around a decade ago for a host of reasons.

Benaulikars, however, have a question or two to ask for the powers that be – will the sprawling land of their ancestors remain with the local communities, including the traditional fishermen for future development, more so when the local fishing communities are struggling for land to keep alive their traditional occupation, including land to anchor their vessels during monsoons.

Their fears are not completely unfounded. For, a host of outside private players have set their eyes on the sprawling land in response to the Expression of Interest (EOI) floated by the Fisheries department to set up a “Shrimp & Fin Fish Hatchery” through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) on Design, Build, Finance, Operation and Transfer (DBFOT) model.

Information accessed by ‘The Goan’ via RTI has revealed that companies from Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, along with a couple of local players, have submitted their EOI to execute the Fisheries Department’s Shrim & Fin Fish Hatchery project.

Information revealed that Kerala-based Enigin, Ananda Group from Andhra Pradesh, FHNINE Bangalore, besides CPF India Pvt Ltd from Tamil Nadu are four top players from outside the state who have submitted their RFP to the department. These major players have come out with their respective proposals how to revive the defunct hatchery. For instance, Enigin Kerala has proposed to set up zero discharged circulatory hatchery, while Ananda Group has submitted a tentative design for shrimp hatchery of 500 million PL and sea bass hatchery of 10 million juveniles with a financial outlay of Rs 18 crore.

The local players include Corlim Marine Export Pvt, Ltd, and Krish Marketing, besides Benaulim-based Niz Ramponkaracho Evkott, Benaulim and Trevor Fernandes and others, Benaulm.

Incidentally, the Niz Ramponkaracho Ekvott, a body of traditional fishermen, has mooted a triangular partnership model towards setting up of state of art shrimp fish hatchery, while Trevor & others called for Atmanirbhar community based project for prawn hatchery in Benaulim.

While the Fisheries Department has gone for the PPP model to enhance the production of quality fish seed and capacity augmentation of farmers and entrepreneurs to take up scientific methods of fish farming, traditional fishermen have  demanded that the hatchery remain in control of the local community instead of leasing out the same to outside companies.

Says Benaulim-based fishermen Pele Fernandes, “The land in question should not be handed over to outside parties. This is the land of our ancestors. It should be preserved and developed for the local communities and for the posterity”.

Incidentally, the RTI information reveals that the Benaulim Panchayat had intimated the Fisheries department with a resolution demanding the existing prawn hatchery in Benaulim should be handed over to the panchayat with the aim to make Benaulim “Atmanirbhar village”.

The Aam Admi Party has also written a letter to the Fisheries Department demanding that the local community be granted the “Right of first Refusal” during these times to encourage the locals to take up occupations suitable to their own strength on priority.

Questions remain whether the Fisheries Department will go ahead with the project by taking the bid process to the next stage of floating Request for Proposal (RFP)

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The property inside the hatchery.  Santosh Mirajkar

THE PROJECT

To develop a full-fledged shrimp & finfish hatchery and nursery to fill the gap between demand and supply.

To attain self-sufficiency in production of fish juveniles

To boost aquaculture and increase shrimp production

To generate employment in the state

Expression of Interest 

The Fisheries department had called for the Expression of Interest (EOI) from interested developers to furnish detailed report comprising proposed conceptual design, methodology, technology and any other good industry practice in vogue globally to make it a world class facility

STATUS OF BENAULIM HATCHERY 

The Benaulim hatchery was set up on land admeasuring 10 acres as a pilot project in the early 90s to supply shrimp seeds for the farmers in the state of Goa and outside

In fact, the hatchery was in demand during the initial years, even making profits, with farmers from Goa and outside, getting their seed requirement right from Benaulim

Haven’t shortlisted any bidder 
yet, says Fisheries Minister 

MARGAO: As local fishermen in particular and Benaulikars in general are keeping their fingers crossed over the fate of the prawn hatchery land, Fisheries Minister Filipe Neri Rodrigues has said the department has not shortlisted any bidder for the work on the revival of the Benaulim hatchery unit till date.

He pointed out that the fisheries department has not processed the applications received from the parties, including parties from outside the state.

“The department has received a number of proposals from interested parties, but we are not rushing in haste to shortlist the parties. I have told our officials to go through the proposals before taking any further decision”, he said.

In fact, a perusal of the note put up by the Fisheries Minister on the file states “may examine all the objections and suggestions before we could go ahead with the project”.

Filipe Neri told The Goan that the PPP cell of the Finance department will also be having a look at the responses received by the department. 



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