The Coastal Aquaculture Authority (CAA) Chennai, under the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal husbandry and Dairying, GoI started a National Campaign to achieve 100% farm registration in the country. The first campaign to create awareness among farmers on need for registration was organized at Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu today.

This initiative is backed by the Amendments made in the Principal Act on Coastal Aquaculture whereby farms in the Owned land can be registered and delay renewals can also be condoned for the farmers who had not renewed their registration for various reasons. Now the Government, under the ease of doing business has included provisions for condoning the delay by paying two times the applicable registration fee. This is expected to help more than 35,000 farms across the country to regularize their farms registrations. The brouchers are also circulated in local language for wide publicity among the farmers during the campaign.

Non-registration of coastal aquaculture units is a violation as per the Section13 of the CAA Act, 2005. The mandate of CAA is to protect coastal environment and develop aquaculture in a sustained manner. To support the farmers, the CAA is planning to organize campaign in all states in association with respective State fisheries departments and MPEDA.

The mass motivation progamme would serve as a “Help-line” to farmers and result in 100% registration and renewal of Coastal aquaculture units in legalization of farms and to meet the requirements of traceability of farmed produce in the country.

Farmers from various districts of Tamil Nadu attended the program and handed over application for registration and renewals and the officials of Department of Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare also handed over the applications farm collected to CAA officials. The meeting was attended by Shri Chidambaram, President, Nagapattinam Aquaculture Farmers Association (NAFA), Shri Shivasankar, Secretary, Nagapattinam Aquaculture Farmers Association (NAFA), Dr. V. Krip, Secretary, CAA, Shri Elamvaluthi, Joint Director (Nagapattinam), Department of Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare, Govt. of Tamil Nadu, Shri. Naresh Vishnu Tambhadu, Deputy Director, MPEDA and NaCSA, officials of CAA, Staff and Students of Tamil Nadu Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Fisheries University, Nagapattinam.

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SK/SS/SM