Fishery

Need to ensure fish farmers get benefits under govt schemes: Union Min

Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh on Thursday stressed the need to bring fish farmers into the organised sector to enable them to take benefit of various government schemes, besides tackling challenges of marine pollution and illegal fishing. Addressing an event on 'World Fisheries Day', the minister of fisheries, animal husbandry & dairying highlighted that India is the world's second-largest fish producer and expressed confidence that the country will soon become top producer globally. India's fish production has surged 82 per cent to 175.45 lakh tonnes in 2022-23 from 95.79 lakh tonnes in 2013-14. Singh credited the sharp rise in fish production to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government's various measures in the last 10 years to boost growth in the fishery sector, including Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana and Fisheries and Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF). He said 3 crore people are directly involved in the fishery sector. Listing out the challenges faced by

Govt asks investors to invest in Andaman & Nicobar's fishery sector

Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh on Thursday urged investors to turn to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which has the potential to emerge as a hub for fisheries exports. Inaugurating an investors' meet here, the Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister stressed on creating modern fishing infrastructure to utilise the untapped resources in the Union Territory, an official statement said. Calling upon investors to seize the opportunities in the region, the minister said the Centre is also working to strengthen trade with Southeast Asian countries. Additionally, he outlined efforts to promote deep-sea fishing and develop post-harvest processing facilities to help achieve the export target of Rs 1 lakh crore. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands offer a prime opportunity for fisheries development, with about six lakh square km of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) rich in under-exploited sea resources, particularly tuna and tuna-like high-valued species, estimated at 60,000 tonnes. I

Govt to set up high-level panel for roadmap to develop fisheries sector

The government on Sunday decided to constitute a high-level committee comprising senior officials to chalk out a roadmap for further development of the fisheries sector. A decision in this regard was taken in a meeting between Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Minister of Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh here at Krishi Bhavan. Highlighting the research undertaken by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in the field of fisheries, Chouhan stressed on the need to develop "model farms" to boost the income of small farmers, an official statement said. "In this regard, it has been decided to constitute a high-level committee in the field of fisheries composed of senior officials of the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and ICAR," the agriculture ministry said in a statement. The committee will hold regular meetings and prepare a roadmap, it added. Chouhan said the state governments and other stakeholders need to be

Centre to launch 125-plus fisheries projects in Tamil Nadu on Friday

In a major boost to the fisheries sector, Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh is slated to inaugurate more than 125 projects at the Fisheries Summer Meet to be held in Madurai, Tamil Nadu on Friday, according to ministry officials. These initiatives, approved under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), represent a total investment exceeding Rs 100 crore. The ministry officials said the diverse array of initiatives includes fish retail kiosks, shrimp hatcheries, brood banks, ornamental fish units, biofloc units, fish feed mills, and fish value-added enterprises. PMMSY, a flagship programme of the Centre, aims to foster sustainable development in the fisheries sector. While details of specific financial assistance were not disclosed, the scheme is expected to significantly bolster local businesses and enhance the country's fisheries output. The event will also see Singh distribute grants to 12 winners of the inaugural Fisheries Startup Grand Challenge, organised by the ...

No moratorium on repayment of loans during trawling ban period: Kerala govt

The Kerala government on Wednesday made it clear that no moratorium has been granted on repayment of loans availed by fishermen during the time of the ongoing 52-day-long trawling ban imposed in state waters. However, several measures, including free rations, were given to the fishermen's families during the trawling ban period from June 10 to July 31, state Fisheries Minister Saji Cheriyan told the state assembly. He was replying to a question raised by MLA E K Vijayan (CPI-M) during the Question Hour. The fishermen, who use mechanised vessels, and those engaged in other related work in the sector lost jobs during the ban, and they are being given free rations, the minister said. Under the financial relief scheme, those fishermen, who are members of their welfare fund board, would get assistance of Rs 4,500 during this time. Of this, Rs 1500 each is contributed by the union and state governments and the rest is the share of beneficiaries, he noted. While replying to a question,

Govt plans to enlist dairy, fishery co-operatives in rural banking outreach

The government is planning to launch a nationwide programme to rope in dairy and fishery cooperative societies as banking correspondents to expand financial services in rural areas, a top official said on Wednesday. Ministry of Cooperation Secretary Ashish Kumar Bhutani said the programme would leverage the existing network of dairy and fishery cooperatives to act as "bank mitras" or banking agents by offering services such as micro-ATMs and lower-interest farm loans. "The pilot has been rolled out at the state level in Gujarat. We intend to nationally roll out shortly," Bhutani said while addressing a cooperative summit organised by PHDCCI here. The plan follows a pilot project launched in two districts of Gujarat where members of dairy and fishery cooperatives were able to access banking services closer home, including doorstep delivery of microloans and facilitating other transactions. Under the nationwide programme, these cooperative societies will be engaged as banking ...

India has robust regulatory framework for seafood units: Commerce min

India has a robust regulatory framework for its 548 seafood units and it has set up world-class facilities in the fish processing sector, which are regularly inspected and monitored by various government agencies, the commerce ministry said on Saturday. The statement comes in the backdrop of some reports alleging food safety and bad labour conditions in the Indian shrimp industry. It said that all its units are registered with MPEDA (Marine Products Export Development Authority) and FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) and approved by EIC (export inspection council) as mandated by the law. Additionally, 46 independent pre-processing units are registered by the authority. The shrimp hatcheries and aquaculture farms are registered with the Coastal Aquaculture Authority (CAA) and State Fisheries Departments based on their respective locations. MPEDA also enrols aquafarms to bolster the traceability system of aquaculture products and adhere to national and internationa

India's inland fish production tripled in last 9 yrs: Union minster Rupala

Inland fish production in India has almost tripled in the last nine years, Union minister Parshottam Rupala said on Tuesday. He was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of 'Global Fisheries Conference India 2023' organised by the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying at Science City here on the occasion of World Fisheries Day. "Fisheries is India's sunrise sector and PM Narendra Modi has given priority to it. Our country today ranks third globally in terms of fish production and we are connected with the world through this trade. Country's inland fish production has almost tripled in the last nine years and still, there are immense growth opportunities," said Rupala. Addressing a press conference later, Rupala said the Modi government, since 2015, has allocated Rs 38,000 crore under different schemes including the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojna, whereas only Rs 3,680 crore was allocated to this sector by the previous governments till 2014. Rupala said this was the .

Inland fish production up over 2-fold in 9 yrs to 13.1 mn tonnes: Minister

Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister Parshottam Rupala on Thursday said the country's inland fish production has more than doubled in the last nine years to 131 lakh tonnes on the back of government's initiatives to boost this sector. The minister also highlighted that the Modi government has announced an investment of around Rs 38,000 crore under various programmes in the last nine years. Addressing a press conference here, Rupala announced that a 'Global Fisheries Conference India 2023' is being organised in Ahmedabad from November 21-22 to discuss immense potential as well as challenges in the sector. The deliberation will help in preparing a future roadmap for this sector. The minister said more than 5,000 people are expected to attend this conference from across the world. He informed that embassies of more than 50 countries have been invited along with global organisations like FAO, World Bank and ADB. Stakeholders, including fishers and fish farmers, engaged in

China leads list of labour abusers, detected on fishing vessels worldwide

Hazardous, forced work conditions sometimes akin to slavery have been detected on nearly 500 industrial fishing vessels around the world, but identifying those responsible for abuses at sea is hampered by a lack of transparency and regulatory oversight, a new report concluded. The research by the Financial Transparency Coalition, a Washington, DC-based nonprofit organisation that tracks illicit money flows, is the most comprehensive attempt to date to identify the companies operating vessels where tens of thousands of workers every year are estimated to be trapped in unsafe conditions. The report, published Wednesday, found that a quarter of vessels suspected of abusing workers are flagged to China, whose distant water fleet dominates fishing on the high seas, traditionally lawless areas beyond the jurisdiction of any single country. Vessels from Russia, Spain, Thailand, Taiwan and South Korea were also accused of mistreatment of fishers. Forced labour in the seafood industry is a .

Captain Fresh raises $20 million for global expansion in Series C funding

Captain Fresh, a B2B fish and seafood company, on Tuesday announced raising USD 20 million (around Rs 166 crore) that will help it in expanding in global markets. The extended C funding round saw participation from SBI Investment and Evolvence Capital, among others. "This investment is led by Japan-based SBI Investment and Evolvence Capital, complemented by continued backing from internal investors, including Accel, Matrix Partners India, Prosus Ventures and Tiger Global," a company statement said. Captain Fresh is backed by Ankur Capital and Incubate Fund. "The fresh capital will be purposed towards Captain Fresh's global aspirations, particularly focusing on Europe and the USA. Discussions are already in motion with potential allies in these markets," it added. Founder Utham Gowda said it is a transformative juncture in our aim to establish Captain Fresh on the global stage. "Over the past three years, we've built significant supply side capacity by establishing a robust networ

Trade experts urge India not to ratify WTO contract on fisheries subsidies

Trade experts and some members of civil society have urged India not to ratify the fisheries subsidies agreement agreed upon by the World Trade Organisation members in Geneva last year and instead commence talks for a comprehensive pact. Members of the Geneva-based WTO on June 17, 2022, secured a 'Geneva Package' which included agreements on curbing harmful fishing subsidies and temporary patent waivers for the production of COVID-19 vaccines. The fisheries agreement finalised would prohibit developed countries, engaged in distant water fishing, not to provide subsidies for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities. However, the countries have to negotiate about the other issues of the agreement which include overfishing and overcapacity. "We urge the government not to ratify this unequal agreement. Instead, the government should begin talks on the comprehensive agreement which is already mandated about disciplines for industrial fishing nations under Article 5 pertaini

ICAR to focus more on horticulture research to achieve higher growth: DG

Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Director General Himanshu Pathak on Monday said the organisation will focus more on research in livestock, fisheries and horticulture to boost growth in these three sectors. ICAR would continue to develop climate-resilient seed varieties to ensure crop production does not get affected due to climate change, he said, adding that emphasis would also be laid on the use of digital tools in farming, as well as post-harvest management of agriculture and horticulture crops. Pathak said the research institute will invite private players to do joint research. On Sunday, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar asked ICAR's farm scientists to focus more on research in animal husbandry and fisheries to boost production and their contribution to the overall farm sector growth. The minister was speaking virtually on the 95th foundation day of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). "Our research work is not limited to crops only

Nod to selective harvest of large fish in Chandigarh's Sukhna Lake

Experts say the trouble started after 1985 when the administration stopped auctioning of selective fishing rights in the lake

Tech is key to develop animal husbandry, fisheries: Parshottam Rupala

Union Minister Parshottam Rupala on Tuesday stressed the need for technology intervention in the animal husbandry, fisheries and dairying sectors. Speaking after participating as chief guest at the 'Grand Startup Conclave' on Animal Husbandry and Dairy here, Rupala said technology intervention in the field of animal husbandry and fisheries will play a crucial role in productivity. "I feel that animal husbandry and fisheries started even before agriculture. Now, it is very important that there should be technology intervention in these sectors. This is an open invitation for the youth to join and make technology intervention in animal husbandry, fisheries and dairying," said Rupala, who is Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying L Murugan said there were very few startups before 2014. "After Prime Minister Narendra Modi took initiatives, now we are third in the world and reached one lakh startup

Project worth Rs 176 crore approved to boost fish production across J-K

The Jammu and Kashmir government has approved a Rs 176 crore project to boost fish production in the Union Territory having abundant water resources and great potential for fisheries development, an official said on Tuesday. Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture Production Department (APD), Atal Dulloo said the programme seeks to increase annual trout production by 2.5 times, from 1,663 to 4,000 tonnes, and add an additional 1,200 tonnes of carps every year. "By doing so, the programme intends to convert the current import of around 5,000 tonnes of fish from other regions into local commerce, generating 6,050 jobs and 150 enterprises," he said, adding that it also aims to boost the growth rate of the fish sector from 3.28 per cent to 40 per cent, and increase revenue from Rs 105.55 crore to Rs 589 crore per year. Dulloo said the project aims to increase fish production, productivity, and growth rate, as well as strengthen social security and welfare measures for the fishing ...

Govt working on maximising net revenue from fisheries: Union fisheries secy

The top fisheries official added that appropriate technologies are crucial in maintaining sustainability in the marine fisheries sector of the country

Odisha govt to release Rs 804 crore in bank accounts of 40 lakh farmers

According to Odisha Agriculture Minister Dr Arun Kumar Sahoo, Odisha is now a state who is topping in paddy procurement and fisheries, in comparison to other states

Saarc nations for technology use to fight climate crisis in fisheries

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation countries on Thursday pitched for adoption of technologies to reduce the impact of climate crisis on fisheries and acquaculture

New crop of agri-tech startups go beyond farm-to-fork to serve niche areas

Their initiatives span areas as diverse as sericulture and fisheries using niche solutions like IoT-based farm management and using AI to ensure freshness of produce