The Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Department (FARD) signed an MoA with WorldFish on June 28 in presence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for a joint project for 5 years to boost fish production in the State.

The project commencing in July costs around Rs 22 crore.

WorldFish is an international, non-profit research organisation that harnesses the potential of fisheries and aquaculture. The present collaboration with the Government of Odisha is in consonance with the Odisha Fisheries Policy, 2015 aiming at holistic and sustainable development in fisheries sector. The State has planned to double the fish production in next 5 years and WorldFish will play a crucial role in this direction.

WorldFish will facilitate aquaculture operations through quality fish seed technology and farming systems. A long term goal will be to foster a sustainable aquaculture sector in which the private sector would be more willing to invest. The partnership will also focus on improving the value chain and marketing of Odisha products, planning and management of existing resources as well as skill upgradation.

Odisha has 6.76 lakh hectares of fresh water area which includes 1.25 lakh ha tanks/ponds, 2 lakh ha reservoirs, 1.80 lakh ha lakes, swamps and jheels and 1.71 lakh ha rivers and canals. Apart from this, brackish water and marine resources are also available wherein shrimps and fish are produced, captured and marketed in and outside Odisha. By judiciously harnessing these resources, the fish production can be substantially augmented to meet the needs of both domestic and international markets and further supplementing the income generation of the fish farmers of the State.

FARD Commissioner-cum-Secretary Bishnupada Sethi said, “Odisha offers vast scope for development in fisheries sector and we look forward to an integrated development in collaboration with WorldFish.”

WorldFish programme leader Michael Phillips said, “We have been working in neighbouring Bangladesh for many years and have had great success in scaling up production with new technologies and training. We are honoured to be working with the State of Odisha and look forward to bringing some of that expertise to bear in the State in the coming years.”