Workers loading powdered ice into mechanised fishing trawlers at the Fishing Harbour in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: K.R. DEEPAK
A severe ice shortage at the Visakhapatnam Fishing Harbour has disrupted deep-sea operations. This has heaped financial pressure on mechanised boat owners and seafood traders, driven up preservation costs, delayed voyages, and threatened supply chains to major domestic markets like Kolkata, Chennai, and Bengaluru.This comes days after 61-day after annual fishing ban, imposed by the Union government to facilitate the breeding and regeneration of marine species, along the East Coast lifted on June 14.Price volatilityThe supply deficit has driven up the market price of ice, forcing boat owners to pay significant premiums depending on daily availability. The harbour faces an acute 30%-40% daily ice shortage, delaying voyages.This has triggered sharp price hikes for purchasers. The standard price of ₹1,300-₹1,700 per tonne has spiked by ₹500-₹1,000, pushing current procurement costs past ₹2,200-₹2,500.According to the Andhra Pradesh Mechanised Fishing Boat Operators Association, the crisis intensified following the sudden addition of more than 200 deep-sea longline fishing vessels procured by locals from neighbouring coastal States, including Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The influx outpaced the harbour’s local ice production capacity, which has seen no expansion in recent years.The harbour permanently hosts about 677 registered mechanised boats alongside 2,000 smaller motorised vessels. While a standard local mechanised boat requires around 15 tonnes of ice for a single 10-to-12-day voyage, the larger incoming longline vessels require up to 40 tonnes of crushed ice per expedition to preserve their catch.Deficit in figuresWith hundreds of vessels preparing for multiple voyages, the harbour’s total monthly ice requirement currently stands between 20,000 and 25,000 tonnes during peak season.Annually, the aggregate demand hovers between 1.8 lakh and 2.2 lakh tonnes, factoring in the mandatory 61-day breeding ban period from April 15 to June 14.Logistical challengesCompounding the problem is the logistical challenge of procurement. Only about 8 to 15 ice units operate directly within the harbour premises. To meet the massive shortfall, boat operators are forced to source ice from approximately 30 private plants scattered across peripheral industrial zones like Gajuwaka, Pedagantyada, Madhurawada, and Anandapuram, incurring additional transport and handling costs.Speaking to The Hindu, A.P. Fisheries Department joint director P. Lakshmana Rao said that the issue was brought to their notice and they would send a team to ascertain the reason behind the crisis.He further noted that the department would also write a letter to the Commissioner regarding the establishment of an ice factory dedicated for the fishing harbour. He admitted that there is currently no single ice factory run by the government to cater to the local fleet.Policy relief soughtUnless the government takes immediate action, the fishing industry risks suffering irreparable damage, said Vasupalli Janakiram, president of the A.P. Mechanised Fishing Boat Operators Association.The association, alongside various fishermen welfare groups, has appealed to the State Fisheries Department, the Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA), and the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) to intervene.“I came to Chennai today (July 1) to meet the MPEDA Chairman P. Jawahar to resolve this issue from their side. The situation is horrible,” Mr. Janakiram told The Hindu.Their immediate demands include lowering the VPA land lease rates to make new ice plant investments viable. They are also seeking specific industrial benefits for ice units supporting the fisheries sector, such as capital subsidies and concessional power tariffs, alongside a temporary ice subsidy to cushion the combined impact of high input costs and rising diesel prices. Published - July 01, 2026 08:46 pm IST
