The State Government would sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the WorldFish for development of fast growing fisheries sector in the State.
Fisheries and ARD Secretary Bishnupada Sethi is in touch with the WorldFish, which is an international organisation working all over the world for development of fisheries and aquaculture.
This is a nonprofit organisation has headquarters at Penang, Malaysia and its offices in Asia, Africa and the Pacific.
The mission of the organisation is to harness the potential of fisheries and aquaculture to reduce poverty and hunger in developing countries.
WorldFish is a member of CGIAR, a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future. Working in partnership with private and public sectors and civil society, WorldFish uses its scientific expertise in fisheries and aquaculture to promote sustainable, evidence-based development solutions and policy recommendations.
The collaboration of the Government of Odisha with WorldFish will be for a period of five years commencing from July, 2016. This will facilitate aquaculture operations through quality fish seed, technology and farming systems. In addition, the environment for private investment will improve which will lead to sustainable growth.
The collaboration is also aimed to improve marketing access for Odisha products, planning and management of existing resources for aquaculture and fisheries, skill up-gradation of fish farmers for holistic development in the sector.
The project cost for five years will be around Rs 22 crore which will be supported by appropriate budget provisions.
The WorldFish has introduced innovative technologies and practices that are brought to scale through a network of partners. Specifically in Bangladesh, it has trained and supported thousands of rural farmers by helping them improve productivity.
The organisation has been recognized with several World Bank Development Market Place Awards and the World Food Prize. The vast research expertise of the WorldFish will immensely benefit the State, which has vast scope for development.
This collaboration is in consonance with Odisha Fisheries Policy, 2015, which is presently under implementation to double fish production in five years and bring around integrated development in fisheries sector.