Bhubaneswar: Odisha, which is 4th largest State in aquaculture production in the country, has exported seafoods worth Rs 4560 crore during last financial year.
This was informed by Fisheries & Animal Resources Development Ranendra Pratap Swain while speaking at a seminar on “Diversified Aquaculture with Special Focus to GIFT” here at Krushi Bhawan on Monday.
Marine Product Export Development Authority (MPEDA) and Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture (RGCA) in association with Fisheries & Animal Resources Development Department have organised the seminar.
Swain inaugurated the seminar as chief guest and congratulated MPEDA for rendering essential service to the aquaculture farmers and exporters of India which has made record all time high exports figures i.e. 7.7 billion US $ during 2021-22 in spite of Covid-19 Pandemic.
Swain expressed his pleasure on the overall fisheries development of Odisha and said the total production was 9.91 lakh Metric tons during last financial year.
Seafood exports from Odisha touched a record Rs 4560 crores during last year and all credits goes to the farmers, hatchery operators, feed manufacturers, exporters, researchers and workers who contributed for the fish production and exports, he said.
Diversification of species and Best Management Practices (BMP) must be adopted in an intensive manner so as to ensure the eco-friendly and sustainable aquaculture for better production. Some sort of rectification in policy and more funding towards R&D is required to scaling up the socioeconomic development of the farmers through aquaculture activities, he said.
Swain said Odisha deserved to be No.1 State in India in aquaculture for which the present Government is highly committed and he assured that all the help required for the sector will be extended.
“The Chief Minister has introduced the 5T system in Odisha for good governance which is unique in our Country. It is time to learn from diversified aquaculture from other countries such as Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, China and even our neighbour Bangladesh where they grow more than 50 varieties of fish,” said the Minister.
This has made those countries to grow speedily in aquaculture and make their farmers very prosperous. In any business, product diversification is key for growth and enduring success.
Diversification gives vast options to farmers and the entire sector and makes them very resilient to various shocks including disease epidemics, climate changes and market fluctuations, he pointed out.
Similarly, diversification gives consumers a wide range of seafood options. In spite of a marathon achievement in vannamei production in the last one and half decades, still introducing more and more viable species must be included in the brackish water culture system to enhance the production and accelerate the foreign export, said the Minister.
Use of unused water bodies and sustainable exploitation of aquaculture resources must be emphasized by the department. Like trending now, aquaculture infrastructure development must be on the peak priority list.
Odisha Government has signed Memorandum of Understanding with MPEDA-RGCA for developing and renewing of Odisha Shrimp Seed Production and Research Centre (OSSPARC) hatchery in Gopalpur for seabass and P. monodon seed production centre which is a dream project of the Chief Minister.
With the joint effort of MPEDA, the Department of Fisheries can do more projects in Odisha State, which is well known for mineral deposits and it will be well known for “Odisha Machha” hereafter, added the Minister.
Delivering the keynote address, R. Raghu Prasad, Principal Secretary, Fisheries and ARD said the department of Fisheries has introduced Go-SUGAM portal to make an ease of “application process” for the beneficiaries under different schemes/components.
Odisha really required an alternative species for freshwater aquaculture and thus GIFT Tilapia can fulfil the requirements, he said.
Odisha has 4.18 lakh ha of Brackish water resources and 480 Km of coastline for fisheries development of the State. These brackish water and coastal lines are very important for Odisha for augmenting fish production by introduction of diversified species.
Through introduction of circular cage culture in Hirakud Reservoir, Odisha has immense potential to produce additional 1.25 lakh MT of fish from major reservoirs in collaboration with the PFCS members and private entrepreneurs, said Director of Fisheries, Smruti Ranjan Pradhan