The Aqua University of Andhra Pradesh is set to become a reality as the State government has decided to allot nearly 200 acres of government land for the university's extension and research activities near Narsapuram in the West Godavari district.
Chief Minister Y.S.Jagan Mohan Reddy will lay a foundation for the Aqua University of Andhra Pradesh at Narsapuram on October 14, Fisheries Minister Seediri Appala Raju told The Hindu.
In an interaction with The Hindu over the phone, Mr. Appala Raju said, “Nearly 200 acres of land has been identified for the university to give a fillip to academics and research in the field of aquaculture. The State government will bear the entire cost to establish the university. A 30-acre academic campus will be established near Narsapuram”.
On extension and research activities, Mr. Appala Raju has added, “An incubation centre, skill development centre and aquapark for research would be established on the university campus. In academics, the university will offer bachelor’s and master’s degree courses and courses in research”.
“The idea of establishing the Aqua University is to bring all the academic and research activities of the aquaculture sector under its umbrella in the State”, said Mr. Appala Raju.
Speaking to The Hindu, West Godavari District Fisheries Officer K.V.S. Nagalingachari has said, “₹100 crore has been sanctioned for construction of administrative buildings of the university at Saripalli-Likithapudi area near Narsapuram”.
GSDP said that the fisheries sector’s contribution to the AP Gross State Domestic Production is 6.04% and it provides 14.5 lakh employment opportunities directly and directly.
In 2019-20, Andhra Pradesh State emerged top in the country in L.Vennamei production, which was above 5.1 lakh Metric Tonnes. The total extent under the L.Vennamei is above 63,000 hectares in the State.
The crab cultivation spreads in above 1100 hectares and production was 977 MTs in 2019-20, according to the annual report-2010-20 of the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA). Asian seabass is one of the leading products from the State, where its production was above 1000 MTs by 2020.
