Aimed at making Kerala an export hub, Lulu Group has opened its 100 per cent seafood export-oriented processing centre at Aroor near Kochi at an investment of ₹150 crore. The centre is also the first fish processing unit by Lulu Group in Kerala.
Kerala Industries Minister P. Rajeeve inaugurated the facility in the presence of MPEDA Chairman Dodda Venkata Swamy, Lulu Group Chairman MA Yusuff Ali, and other dignitaries.
The new venture of LuLu Group is a revolutionary step in seafood exports, and the hub turned out to be a helping hand for the fishermen, the Minister said.
Apart from processing raw seafood, the facility will produce many value-added products such as squid rings, buttered shrimp, and shrimp salad. In the initial phase, 2,500 metric tonnes of processed seafood will be exported every month to over 250 Lulu hypermarkets across the Gulf countries, Egypt, Indonesia, and Malaysia. In the next phase, new markets such as the US, the UK, Europe, Japan, South Korea, and China will be covered. The centre, which will function 24x7, will provide direct and indirect employment to more than 800 people.
Fair Exports India, a division of Lulu Group’s export division, exported fruits, vegetables, spices, fish, and meat worth ₹6,200 crore from India in the last fiscal. It aimed to export ₹10,000 crore worth of similar products in the current financial year.
According to Lulu Group Chairman MA Yusuff Ali, the fishermen will be the biggest beneficiaries of the project as the new scheme will pave the way for them to get a better price and create more job opportunities for skilled workers.
LuLu Group is one of the main exporters of food and consumer goods from India. It is headquartered in Abu Dhabi and runs its flagship retail chain of Lulu hypermarkets and supermarkets and food processing units in GCC countries, including Egypt, Malaysia, and Indonesia.