Government urged to encourage fisheries sector ‘Fishermen facing same problem as farmers do’ Yashpal Suvarna, president of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi Districts Fish Marketing Federation and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, said on Monday that the State government should take steps to encourage fisheries sector. Addressing presspersons here, Mr. Suvarna said that the fishing sector was facing a lot of problems. Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy’s reported statement that he would visit the coastal districts and hold a meeting with the elected representatives and officers on the problems facing the region, was a welcome one. Such a meeting should include environmentalists and experts too. He said that fishermen faced the same problems which the farmers faced. Hence, they should be provided with interest-free loans. The quota of subsidised diesel provided to fishing boats should be increased. Houses for poor fishermen under the Matsyashraya Scheme had not been provided properly in the last couple of years. Hence, this scheme should be given a fillip. Sea erosion was a regular occurrence during monsoon. Hence, construction of sea walls was a necessity here.