To develop long-term strategies to meet the domestic market demands, create employment for the rural poor and enhance their food, nutritional and livelihood security, a draft of the Odisha Fishery Policy has moved to its final stage. The Government is likely to announce the policy soon.
Deliberating on the various issues stated in the draft policy, Chief Secretary JK Mohapatra on Thursday advised the concerned officials to prepare work plans for five years with a year-wise breakup for doubling fish production.Commissioner-cum-Secretary Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Bishnupada Sethi has prepared the comprehensive draft policy after having consultation with research institutes and incorporating relevant inputs from concerned workshops held at the State and national levels. The fishery activities are now under allied activities of State Agriculture Policy 2008.
The fishery policy is highly necessitated as Odisha is a major maritime State with a 480-km-long coastline and has about 80 per cent fish eating population. The present level of fish production is 79.8 per cent of the overall fisheries potential of 5,14,000 tonnes including 1,61,000 tonnes of the marine sector and 3,53,000 tonnes from the fresh and brackish water sectors.
As per a conservative estimate, the State’s fish requirement is about 3,79,370 tonnes for meeting the nutritional requirements of the non-vegetarian population. The World Health Organisation puts the requirement of consumption at 11 kg per capita per annum. The State exports almost 28.4 per cent of the fish produced to outside the State and country.The State has a 24,000sq km area for marine fisheries development and freshwater resources are estimated to be 6.75 lakh hectares of tanks and ponds, lakes, reservoirs, swaps and jheels and rivers and canals. This includes 0.79 lakh hectares of Chilika lake.
The State’s total fish production during past five years has increased at a rate of about 14.8 per cent per annum. While production from inland fisheries and brackish water resources has increased from 2,18,716 tonnes to 2,91,833 tonnes, there was a decline in the marine fish production from 1,30,767 tonnes to 1,18,311 tonnes during the last five years.
The annual export of marine products during last five years ranged between 14,135 tonnes in 2008-09 and 23,691 tonnes valued approximately at Rs35,800 crore to Rs90,850 crore. The State’s contribution to the present level of marine products exported is about 2.5 per cent in terms of quantity and 4.8 per cent in terms of value of Indian marine products. However, the entire quantum of exports is taking place from outside the State from Visakhapatnam, Haldia and Chennai.
Besides, the fisheries sector has placed the average per capita annual income at Rs6,787 compared to the all-India average of Rs10,204. The fisheries sub-sector has contributed about six per cent to the GSDP share of the agriculture sector for the year 2012-13.
In view of these challenges, the draft policy has suggested some fiscal incentives for the growth of the sector. The policy envisages declaration of aquaculture as an agriculture activity for enabling easy flow of credit, institutional finance, lower power tariffs, tax, excise and customs duties concessions or waiver or exemptions and water supply and issue of Kisan Credit Cards and provides necessary incentives and tax holidays to large-scale fish farmers who produce 10 tonnes per hectare or more fish. Besides, to make fish processing more lucrative and competitive in export and domestic markets, rationalisation of several taxes and measures have been suggested.
The policy has provisions of adequate and timely credit to investors, working capital for primary fishery cooperatives, etc. The Government will promote insurance in freshwater aquaculture by providing 50 per cent of premium for encouraging fish farmers. The document hopes that the policy will strengthen the implementation of the identified strategies and initiatives for developing the fishery resources sustainably.