The Utkal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UCCI) on Friday expressed its gratitude to the State Government for taking prompt action in notifying the land lease Policy for brackish water for prawn culture. In a letter to Chief Secretary GC Pati, UCCI president Ramesh Mahapatra said, “We are proud of the fact that the Chamber has the privilege of presenting before you and various officials a roadmap for enhancing the export of sea-food of Odisha by more than fourfold from the present level of Rs2300 crore to Rs10,000 crore in five year time. Though this presentation was made in a sea-food factory near Khorda and you inspected the processing, packaging and storage methods on May 2.”
The action taken by the State Government in about a month’s time in putting in place a land lease Policy is indeed praiseworthy and the policy as announced is perhaps better than the Fisheries Policy of Gujarat, stated in the letter. “We are sure that under our State will see multifold increases in fish and brackish water prawn production and also substantial increase of seafood export in the next 4-5 years time,” stated the letter.