The Government has taken various measures to promote the production and facilitate exports of value added marine food products and fishery products in the country including coastal Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. These are:

1. Technology Upgradation Scheme for Marine Products (TUSMP),
2. Financial assistance for acquisition of machinery for tuna cannery / processing of value added tuna product,
3. Financial assistance for Chilled Tuna for export,
4. Interest subsidy assistance for seafood units to facilitate upgradation,
5. Development Assistance for export of Ornamental/Aquarium Fishes/Live Aquarium Plants, and
6. Sea Freight Assistance scheme etc.

Several forms of Financial assistance have been extended by the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) to different States / Union Territories for improving the infrastructure facilities for marine products. These are as under:

1. Scheme for Technology Upgradation for Marine Products,
2. Large cold storages for storing fish and fishery products,
3. Financial Assistance for setting up of modern Ice plants / renovation of the existing Ice plants,
4. Distribution of insulated fish boxes at subsided costs etc.

The details of funds provided under different Schemes to Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala during the last three years to increase and improve the infrastructure facilities is as under:

In Rs. lakh

	2011-12			2012-13			2013-14
	Kerala	Andhra Pradesh	Tamil Nadu	Kerala	Andhra Pradesh	Tamil Nadu	Kerala	Andhra Pradesh	Tamil Nadu
Technology Upgradation for Marine Products	185	152.08	439.9	0	214.14	81.7	100	356.02	149.5
Large cold storage for storing fish and fishery products	43.6	84.45	91.25	0	115.04	0	96.99	51.34	21.72
Financial Assistance for setting up of modern Ice plants / renovation of the existing Ice plants	0	0	13.86	0	0	0	0	0	8.35
Distribution of insulated fish boxes at subsided costs	8.05	0.95	3.81	4.11	1.19	0	3.11	2.89	0

The information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in Rajya Sabha today.

Export promotion measures bolster value added marine food exports by funding technology upgrades and cold chain infrastructure. The Government provides targeted export facilitation measures including a Technology Upgradation Scheme, capital and interest subsidy assistance for tuna processing and seafood unit modernisation, chilled tuna export support, development assistance for ornamental/aquarium fishes, and Sea Freight Assistance, together with state level funding for large cold storages, modern ice plants, and subsidised insulated fish boxes to strengthen cold chain and export infrastructure for value added marine food products.