Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting on Thursday to review the progress of the fisheries sector, with a focus on fishing in the Exclusive Economic Zone(EEZ) and high seas.
In the meeting, PM Modi emphasized the extensive use of satellite technology to harness better use of fish resources and provide safety instructions to fishermen, modernization through smart harbours and markets, use of drones in transportation and marketing of the catch, improvements in processing and packaging of the produce.
PM Modi said that similar to agro tech in the agriculture sector, adoption of fish tech in the fisheries sector should be enhanced for improving the production, processing and marketing practices.
He suggested usage of seaweeds for fuel purposes, as nutritional inputs in pharmaceuticals and other sectors, fisheries production in Amrit Sarovars to improve the livelihoods of the fishermen. PM Modi said that ornamental fisheries also needs to be promoted along with a strategy to serve the needs of landlocked areas, where there is high demand for fish but not enough supply.
He suggested undertaking capacity building of fishermen in modern fishing practices, maintenance of a negative list of items that hinder the growth of the sector. Facilitation of investments from the private sector was also discussed in the meeting.
Since 2015, the government has stepped-up investment to Rs. 38,572 crore through various Central schemes and programs – namely Blue Revolution Scheme, Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF), Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), Pradhan Mantri Matsya Samridhi Sah Yojana (PM-MKSSY) and Kisan Credit Card (KCC). India has registered an annual fish production of 195 lakh tons in 2024-25 with sectoral growth rate of more than 9%.