Bhubaneswar, May 31: The second Chilika Fresh outlet, which opened today at Nayapalli, has a lot of new things to offer to customers.

Apart from selling fresh fish from Chilika and its surrounding water bodies, the outlet is also selling fish pickles and ready-to-eat fish bhujias. It has also, for the first time, introduced frozen fish.

Agriculture minister Pradeep Maharathy today inaugurated the shop at Nayapalli near the directorate of horticulture campus. The first Chilika Fresh outlet was opened at Siripur market on September 26 last year.

"I got two types of pickles at the new outlet. One is produced from prawn and other from rohu. While the 100gram packet of prawn pickle cost Rs 70, a 75gram packet cost Rs 55. The pickle made from fish other than prawn is available only in 100gram pack and its price is Rs 55," said Meira Swain, a homemaker.

She also said the fish bhujias would also attract more buyers. These are available in 50gram packet worth Rs 25 each.

Secretary of the fisheries and animal resources development department Bishnupada Sethi told The Telegraph: "Within two hours of opening of the second Chilika Fresh outlet, the Odisha State Fishermen Co-operative Federation (Fishfed) earned Rs 50,000.''

"For the first time we have also introduced frozen fish on a trial basis at the outlet. In fact, we have seen that these items are sent to western market, but locals miss out on them. Now, we have started to store them here so that people here can also try them," he said.

Online sale of these products would also introduced shortly and the process should start within a month, he said.

Fishfed managing director Umesh Mohanty said: "The fish items and other processed products are supplied by the fishermen through co-operative network eliminating middlemen."

When asked whether more such outlets would be opened in the twin cities, a senior fisheries official said: "We are not getting land for the project. However, the next Chilika Fresh outlet in the city is likely to open near the Chicken Fresh outlet in Saheed Nagar."

In order to supply quality chicken and eggs - both broiler and desi varieties (country birds) - at an affordable price the fisheries and animal resources development department had opened a Chicken Fresh outlet in the city at Saheed Nagar on May 24.