Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh today said that decision to ban use of LED lights and bull trawling during fishing is going to benefit lakhs of traditional fishermen in the country.
Singh was in Goa to participate in the festival organized by state fisheries department in Panaji.
"The use of LED lights was banned in fishing along with the ban on the bull trawling as over-exploitation of resources beyond 12 nautical miles was affecting the catch of traditional fishermen," the minister said talking to reporters at the sidelines of the event.
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Singh said the effect of the ban would be visible on the earnings of the traditional fishermen in the days to come.
He stated that the decision to ban these practices was taken owing to the demand from the coastal states including Goa.
The decision to ban LED lights and bull trawling by the centre indicates the sensitivity of Narendra Modi-led government towards the marginal fishermen, he said.
"The use ofLED used to benefit few people but the traditional fishermen were getting affected. We have banned it and the fishermen across the country are happy," he said.
Later speaking at the function, Singh said that overall fish production in the country has increased from 0.75 million tons from the year 1950-51 to 11.41 million tons in the year 2016-17.
He said that India is making a significant contribution of about 6.2 percent of fish production in the world.
The minister said that overall fish production has grown by 19 per cent during last three years compared to the three years before that.
Singh said that India is leading in prawn production and is the largest exporter of prawns in the world.
"The average annual growth rate of fish and fish products in the world was 7.5 per cent during the last decade, whereas India has attained first position with 14.8 per cent average annual growth in the export of fish and fishery products," he said.
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