ICAR-CIFT partners with Kerala Fisheries Department for Parivarthanam

ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT), Cochin developed a public-private partnershipwith Kerala state fisheries department for reinventing the future of the people affected with Covid pandemic through an ambitious and pioneering eco-sustainable project, Parivarthanam, launched by the Govt. of Kerala with the multipronged strategies of empowering the young mass with employment facilities and ameliorating the socio-economic status of the fishermen community along the coastline through different skill development programmes and implementation of various eco-friendly fishery activities. The project has been envisaged with an objective to provide fruitful employment to large scale repatriated workforce in the state due to covid-19 pandemic through different ways of fishpreneurship.

Launching the programme‘Parivarthanam’ on 6 November, 2020at the state capital Thiruvanathapuram; Smt. J Mercykutty Amma, Hon’ble Minister of Fisheries, Harbour Engineering and Cashew Industry, Govt. of Kerala said that the project has been conceived to manage the state’s aquatic and agricultural products through intelligent and productive use of human resources and on the other hand promote processing and marketing of clean fish and its fish products, that may indirectly give a fillip to the crumbled economy of the state. She also highlighted that this project would develop entrepreneurship through appropriate programs on quality fish supply& marketing, promotion of green energy, elimination of skill gaps, building bridges to industry and contributing to an appreciable level of reduction of carbon footprint. As part of the event, the honourable Smt Mercykutty Amma formally handed over a set of retort pouches carrying value-added fish products to the Finance Minister Dr. T M Thomas Isaac. Later, Dr. T M Thomas Isaac also released a book encapsulating the details of the ambitious projects.

Parivarthanam, a project for change, has been perceivedin a PPP (Private Public Partnership) model, with the Government of Kerala through Kerala State Coastal Area Development Corporation (KSCADC) as one party, ICAR-CIFT, Cochin under Government of India as the second party and an NGO- Society for Advanced Technologies and Management (SatM) as the third or Private Party; converging their synergistic efforts for the socio-economic upliftment and livelihood security of fisher community. The mission Parivarthanam ensures the participation of local administrations and common people in successful implementation of the scheme.

ICAR-CIFT with its advanced technologies in harvest and post-harvest fisheries is supposed to take up the pivotal role of monitoring procurement and processing of fish besides ensuring its quality. CIFT will provide consultancy and capacity building programmes to fish workers, college dropouts and migrant workforce for developing entrepreneurship in fisheries.

The programme was graced by Sri Sheik Pareeth, Managing Director, KSCADC, Kerala; Dr K Ashok Kumar, In-Charge Director, ICAR-CIFT and Sri Roy V Nagendran, Vice-Chairman, Society for Advanced Technologies and Management (SatM)along with other local administrations and public representatives.