Wednesday, 09 Oct, 2024
By: Yash Gupte
India, which is recognised as the third-largest fish producer in the world, contributes 8 percent to the global share of fish production. Image Source: IANS
The nation's 8,118 km of coastline, which spans 9 coastal States and 4 Union Territories, supports the livelihoods of 2.8 million fishermen. The nation produces 162.48 lakh tonnes of fish altogether, of which 121.21 lakh tonnes come from inland sources and 41.27 lakh tonnes come from marine sources.
India has emerged as the third largest country in the world in terms of fish production. The nation's 8,118 km of coastline, which spans 9 coastal States and 4 Union Territories, supports the livelihoods of 2.8 million fishermen. India, which is recognised as the third-largest fish producer in the world, produces 8 percent of the global share of fish production. The nation produces 162.48 lakh tonnes of fish altogether, of which 121.21 lakh tonnes come from inland sources and 41.27 lakh tonnes come from marine sources. In 2021–2022, the value of fisheries exports was Rs 57,586.48 crores. Through its different programmes, the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairy has made a number of steps to expand fisheries and draw farmers to fisheries in addition to agriculture to increase their revenue.
Some of the initiatives are- (i) implementation of Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) - Blue Revolution: Integrated Development and Management of Fisheries for a period of 5 years from 2015-16 to 2019-20 (ii) Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) with effect from the financial year 2020-21 to 2024-25 in all States/Union Territories (iii) Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) with a total fund size of Rs 7522.48 crore implemented for a period of 5 years from 2018-19 to 2023-24 for providing concessional finance, (iv) issuance of Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) to fishers and fish farmers. Among these, the PMMSY is one of the most effective and important step taken by the government in promotion of fisheries.
Several States/UTs are given financial support under the PMMSY in order to provide a boost to the fisheries development operations. The Department of Fisheries, Government of India, under PMMSY, has approved the fisheries development proposals of States/UTs totaling Rs. 1100.00 crore with a central share of Rs. 3864.99 crore over the course of the previous two years, i.e. 2020-21 & 2021-22, and the current financial year 2022-23.
The central government has been maximizing its effort to boost the blue economy and provide new opportunities to the fishermen along the coast. The Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) is a scheme launched by the central government for focused and sustainable development of the fisheries sector in the country as a part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. Recently, Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying in a written reply in Rajya Sabha said that the PMMSY provides insurance coverage to fishers which includes fish workers, fish farmers and any other categories of persons directly involved in fishing and fisheries related allied activities. With a budget of Rs 20,050 crores for a period of five years, PMMSY aims to achieve fish production of 22 million metric tons (MMT) from the current 13.76 MMT by 2024-25 and to create additional employment opportunities for about 55 lakh people.
The achievements made under the PMMSY shows that the Department of Fisheries is not only focusing on increasing the fish production in the country but also on other important activities related to fishing. One of the most important aspect of the scheme is the focus on seaweed cultivation. Apart from improvement in seaweed cultivation, the scheme has also proved beneficial for improvement in the fishing infrastructure.
The chart below shows the funds released to the states under the PMMSY from 2020-2022.
Andhra Pradesh has the highest total project cost under the PMMSY at Rs 77,436 lakhs followed by Uttar Pradesh at Rs 59,413 lakhs. Andhra Pradesh has also received the highest funds by the central government under the PMMSY. The state has received a sum of Rs 18,659 lakhs from 2020-2022, followed by Karnataka (Rs 16,162 lakhs). Sikkim and Punjab have received lowest funds under the scheme. The total project cost in Punjab is Rs 5,984 lakhs and the share of central government is Rs 2,064 lakhs. Out of the central government’s share of Rs 2,064 lakhs, Punjab has received only Rs 567 lakhs in last two years. Other states also narrate a similar tale in terms of allocation of funds.
Source: Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying
India is one of the top exporters of farmed shrimp and the third-largest producer of fish worldwide. Shrimp was included in the fisheries' export revenue total of Rs. 57,586.48 crore in 2021–22. According to a research conducted in 2020–21, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) indicated that a loss of productivity in shrimp farming has been estimated at Rs. 7200 crore due to different reasons, including illnesses. The National Surveillance Programme on Aquatic Animal Diseases (NSPAAD) Phase-II is being implemented nationally by the Government of India under PMMSY in order to facilitate early disease identification.
The central government must concentrate on the allocation of funds and the timely release of funds to the states in order to achieve the target of 22 MMT fish production by 2024-25. The scheme aims to bring a revolution in the fishing sector in the country by providing direct and indirect employment opportunities and by focusing on the sustainable modernisation of fishing infrastructure but at the same time, central government must ensure timely allocation of funds to the states and generation of employment opportunities.
Such well-structured schemes if implemented efficiently by the cooperative efforts of the central government and state governments will surely provide a boost to the fishing sector and transform country’s blue economy.
