Tamil Nadu to get Rs 9,470 crore seafood export SEZ across five coastal districts

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu is set to establish India's first Special Economic Zone (SEZ) exclusively for seafood exports across five coastal districts, with an estimated investment of Rs 9,470 crore and the potential to generate employment for around 1.5 lakh people.

According to a Daily Thanthi report, the proposed seafood export SEZ will be spread across Tiruvallur , Villupuram, Thanjavur, Pudukottai and Ramanathapuram districts.

2,500 acres identified for project

As part of the project, around 2,500 acres of salt pan lands under the control of the Salt Commissioner have been identified across the five districts. The State government has sought to bring these lands under the jurisdiction of the Madras Export Processing Zone (MEPZ) and has sent a formal request to the Union Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) seeking approval.

Processing, cold storage and export facilities planned

Once approved, the SEZs will house seafood processing plants, cold storage facilities, packaging centres and export logistics infrastructure to strengthen the State's seafood export ecosystem. The integrated infrastructure is expected to improve processing capacity and facilitate faster exports.

Investment of Rs 9,470 crore, 1.5 lakh jobs expected

The project is expected to attract investments worth Rs 9,470 crore and create employment opportunities for nearly 1.5 lakh people. Officials also estimate that the proposed seafood export zones could facilitate annual seafood exports worth around Rs 32,000 crore once fully operational.