Aqua lab inaugurated in Vizag; to facilitate aqua farmers in the city

Andhra Pradesh Minister for Tourism, Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao, inaugurated an Aqua lab on Friday, 9 July 2021 in Chepala Uppada, under Bheemili constituency, in Vizag. This modern facility, built at a cost of Rs. 40 lakhs, will be quite beneficial to aqua farmers as they no longer need to go to Chennai or Kakinada for testing their aqua products. With an aim to save the farmers money and time, this state-of-the-art facility would help maintain optimum quality and fetch good returns for the aqua products boosting exports.

Speaking at the inauguration, the Minister said that an aqua lab would be set up in every district in Andhra Pradesh and not just Vizag. He also elaborated on the reasons for such initiatives and added that 40 percent of the county was depending on aquaculture.

Considering the deep losses suffered by the aqua farmers due to the pandemic, the Andhra Pradesh State Government is taking appropriate steps to revive this business. They are also looking to cash on the available natural resources and enhance employment in this sector. A few months ago, the National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture (NaCSA) also set up its Aqua One Centre (AOC) in the state. These were set up under the aegis of the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA). On the aforesaid State endeavor, two aqua labs were launched in East Godavari District, and one was launched in Srikakulam District.

The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, also inaugurated Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) laboratories in Jagannadhapuram, Kakinada. These labs help test bacteria in seeds and feeds and help keep the export products free from viruses.