Odisha has doubled the farmers’ real income during the last decade through high value commercial activities in fishery and animal resource development sectors as revealed from the survey conducted in 2013.
Fisheries and Animal Resource Development (FARD) Bishnupada Sethi appraised this in a review meeting on enhancing sea food export held under the Chairmanship of Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi at the State Secretariat on Saturday.
Reviewing the progress on agenda of actions to achieve sea food export worth Rs 20, 000 crore within coming five years, Chief Secretary Padhi directed to build fishery infrastructure in such a manner that it generates more employment opportunities.
Sethi appraised the meeting about the urgent need for developing infrastructure to 19 priority aquaculture clusters. Taking stock of the works done till today, Chief Secretary Padhi directed the executing agencies to expedite the power supply work to these clusters and complete those in various phases from December 2016 to March, 2017. It may be worth mentioning here that 107 brackish aquaculture clusters have been identified in various places of the State mostly along the continental shelf. Out of this, 19 clusters have been taken up in first phase on priority basis.
The Chief Secretary directed to prepare a timeline for electrification of balance 88 clusters and complete the work within March, 2018. It was also decided to develop 468 km of fish export related road infrastructure in the area. The Forest department was directed to expedite the process of the issue of the certificates required for these linear projects of road and power connectivity.
Sethi appraised that State achieved the highest growth rate in the country in fish
production during the year 2015-16. The growth rate was 11.10 per cent in the year 2015-16.
The total fish production during the year was 521278 MT against that of 469548 MT produced during 2014-15. Similarly, the export of fish and fishery product during the year went up to 35,630 MT with a total value of around Rs 1,788 crore.
Available data show, because of various innovative interventions, financial and technical supports to fish farmers, the total fish production in the State has grown consistently over last four years.
In the year 2012-13, the total fish production was 41,0,144 MT which grew to 41,3,889 in the year 2013-14. In the year 2014-15, the total production got enhanced to 4,69,548 MT followed by a total production of 52,1,278 MT during the year 2015-16.
Presently near about 34 sea food exporters are operating in Odisha.
There are 22 manufacturers and 12 merchants. Odisha sea food finds its major market in Eastern Europe, Japan, China, Middle East and southeastern Asian countries.
It is expected that with the completion of road and power connectivity to the aqua culture clusters, the production cost in Odisha would be more competitive and would fetch more income to the fish farmers.