Date:29/03/2005 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/03/29/stories/2005032901291700.htm

Back Tuticorin fisheries college plans quality control lab

Our Correspondent

Madurai , March 28

THE Tuticorin-based Fisheries College and Research Institute (FCRI) plans to establish a fish quality control laboratory, as part of its efforts to give an impetus to fisheries technology extension programmes, including the launch of VCDs depicting latest technologies.

According to the Dean of the institute, Dr R. Santhanam, the laboratory, the first of its kind to be established at a fisheries college, will come up at a project cost of Rs 2.1 crore. Of this, Rs 1.68 crore has been earmarked for procurement of testing equipment and Rs 24 lakh would be used for the construction of buildings and the rest, for other uses. The aim of the programme is to carry out an analysis to assess the antibiotics and pesticide residues, heavy metal traces and bio-toxin in seafoods.

On the VCD project, he said that discs of 30 minute duration would be brought out on three separate topics, namely, `preparation of smoke cured tuna fish', `culture and breeding of gold fish' and `ornamental fish culture ' for dissemination of knowledge for the benefit of the farming community and the industry.