for export to the United States. United States and Indian capital 

 participates in almost equal proportions in this venture. In the initial 

 stage of operation, the company is to operate a deep-freezing vessel which 

 will act as a mother ship to collect fish taken by local fishermen along 

 the coast. The vessel has a freezing capacity of h tons a day and cold- 

 storage capacity of approximately 70 tons. It is expected that the first 

 shipments to the United States will consist almost entirely of shrimp 

 frozen and packed on the freezer vessel. The American-built vessel will 

 have a complement of lU men, all of whom, will be of Indian nationality, 

 and will have its headquarters at Cochin, in southern India. 



The ship will be used during the entire monsoon period to service 

 shrimp fishing in the backiiaters of the Cochin area. This area has been 

 selected since refrigerated cargo space aboard ocean vessels is available 

 from Cochin. A new refrigerated warehouse is vrnder construction at Cochin, 

 and a freezing plant is also available at Bombay. After the monsoon period, 

 the vessel will operate from port to port along the west coast. Negotiations 

 began in 1956 to provide cold-storage facilities along the coast at other 

 points , 



One firm in Kozhikode has leased two freezing plants from the 

 Government of Madras. Six fishing boats were obtained for the delivery 

 of shrimp along with supplies from local fishermen. The corporation is 

 operated by an Indian national with the assistance of United States capital. 

 Early in 19^6 the firm was experiencing some difficulty in obtaining 

 adequate supplies of shrimp. The frozen-shrimp industry is in competition 

 with the dried-shrimp business. The latter is being promoted by the 

 Indian Government, in order to revive its trade in that commodity with 

 Burma. 



Future possibilities 



The development of India's shrimp fisheries will require im- 

 provements in (1) the education of Indian fishermen, (2) the exploration 

 of new fishing waters, and (3) the methods of catching, preserving, and 

 distributing. The Indian shrimp industry undoubtedly needs foreign 

 technical and financial assistance. 



Most of the Indian fishermen are illiterate and are often 

 indebted to money lenders and traders. In many instances, religious and 

 social beliefs hamper their development, and they are regarded as belonging 

 to one of the lowest social castes in India. They need education, social 

 recognition, and the opportunity to achieve at least some degree of 

 economic independence. 



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