Kings Infra Ventures ties up with TNJFU for collaborative project aimed at doubling fish farmers' income

Kings Infra Ventures Ltd, a technology-driven sustainable aquaculture Company has signed a pact with Tamil Nadu Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Fisheries University (TNJFU) Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu for a collaborative project to develop standardized pond-based culture technique for commercially important marine species. According to the pact, the TNJFU would provide the research and analysis while Kings Infra takes care of the infrastructure and funding needs of the project.

The focus of the project is to help the small and marginal farmers to augment their income by helping them to adopt sustainable aquaculture practices, based on the model developed by the collaborative project between Kings Infra and TNJFU. The project has been designed to be replicated and the model spread across the entire coastal community in Tamil Nadu and other parts of the country.

Describing the purpose of the collaborative venture Mr. Shaji Baby John, Chairman and Managing Director of Kings Infra said the project has three key aims : (i) To develop a standard technology for pond based RAS (Recirculated Aquaculture System) for Vannamei farming (ii) To develop a standard technology for pond culture of commercially important marine finfishes such as cobia, pompano, and seabass(iii) To demonstrate the developed technology to the farming community through on-farm training.

The farm unit of the Kings Infra Ventures Ltd at Chipikulam in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu will be carrying out the study for the collaborative venture.

The Kochi-based Kings Infra has been championing the cause of environmentally sustainable aquaculture for the past many years to enhance productivity and farmers' income. Sustainable aquaculture has tremendous scope for growth as 49 percent of global demand for human consumption of fish is contributed by aquaculture. Aquaculture shrimp contributed 74 percent value of the Indian seafood exports worth Rs 43,717 cr exports in FY 2021.

The Kings Infra, formerly known as Victory Aqua Farm Limited, has pioneered aquaculture in India by setting up the first integrated semi-intensive aquaculture farm in 1987. The Company successfully adopted Japanese technology to Indian conditions and was instrumental in propagating aquaculture technology across the country's coastal states. Several thousands of farmers were trained in aquaculture during the early 1990s paving the way for the Blue Revolution.

The Company has embarked on new initiatives for bringing innovative technologies and practices in aquaculture keeping with its pioneering tradition. The collaborative venture with TNJFU for pond based RAS is such an initiative that would help in bringing great benefits to small and marginal farmers for promoting cluster farming and go a long way in realizing the Union Government's cherished goal of doubling farmers' income.

The present trial study aims in standardizing a novel and cost-effective pond based RAS Technology for attaining higher production and with enhanced immune responses for vannamei shrimps. The other objective is to develop an alternative species for farmers- "Alternative species with proven technology suitable for adoption for small and marginal shrimp farmers would provide them with an effective choice for crop rotation and thereby preventing chances of disease vulnerability in culture systems. Developing a standard technology for pond farming of commercially important marine finfishes such as cobia, pompano and seabass will improve the food security as well as high-quality proteins for our growing population", Mr.Shaji said.

Dr. KS Vijay Amirtharaj, Assistant Professor and Head Mariculture Research Farm Facility, Department of Aquaculture, Fisheries College and Research Institute, Tharuvaikulam, Thoothukudi is the principal investigator of the study. Dr. S. Athithan, Professor and Head Department of Aquaculture, Fisheries College and Research Institute, Tharuvaikulam, Thoothukudi, and Mr. Shaji Baby John, Chairman and Managing Director of Kings Infra Venture Ltd would be the Co-Principal Investigators of the project.

Kings Infra Venture Ltd has a POC agreement (Proof of Concept) with Japanese multinational NEC Corporation for RAS-based precision shrimp aquaculture deploying artificial intelligence and the Internet on Things (IoT). The project, launched in May 2021, aims to improve key performance indicators and provide traceability and predictability to the aquaculture production.

The present initiative would further diversify the range of innovative and sustainable technologies offered by Kings Infra to aquaculture practices that could meet every requirement and need of the Indian Aquaculture industry. Under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) launched in May 2020 the Government of India aims to double the export earnings from the seafood sector to Rs 100,000 cr ($13.82 billion) by 2025. Aquaculture is the main component of this strategic vision. The technological initiatives launched by Kings Infra are in tune with this strategic vision.

Shares of Kings Infra Ventures Limited was last trading in BSE at Rs. 36.3 as compared to the previous close of Rs. 35.75. The total number of shares traded during the day was 138900 in over 297 trades.

The stock hit an intraday high of Rs. 36.7 and intraday low of 35. The net turnover during the day was Rs. 4961890.

Source : Equity Bulls

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