India’s fisheries and aquaculture sectors are critical for its nutrition security. Explaining the significance of the fisheries and aquaculture sector, Professor Manuel Barange, Assistant Director-General and Director, the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), also reckoned the opportunities and challenges in the process.
An event on the World Fisheries Day was hosted by the Department of Fisheries, Government of India (GoI) on 21 November 2024. As a lead up to this important event, FAO did organize a presentation cum discussion session on ‘Opportunites and Challenges for India’s Fisheries and Aquaculture with Global Trends in the Context of Climate Change and Food and Nutrition Security’ on 20 November 2024 in New Delhi.
The objective of the session was to present the current challenges and opportunities faced by the fisheries and aquaculture sector in India and facilitate a discourse with relevant stakeholders to leverage India’s potential in the mentioned sectors. The session was also attended by representatives from the government including K Mohammed Koya, Fisheries Development Commissioner, Department of Fisheries, GoI, and more than 30 relevant stakeholders from other UN agencies such as UNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP), World Bank, non-governmental organisations such as WWF India, and other private entities, along with technical program leads from FAO.
Takayuki Hagiwara, FAO Representative in India highlighted, adding that fishers and aquaculture are critical sectors for India. However, its potential is yet to be fully tapped in the country. We need to collaborate across sectors to bring more attention to this sector and strengthen public policy discourse.
They presented an overview of India’s fisheries and aquaculture sectors within the global trends emphasizing that climate change is the biggest disruptor in aquaculture in India.
India ranks as the world’s second-largest producer of aquaculture, leading in inland fisheries and ranking sixth in marine fisheries. With its vast potential, effective management of all fisheries is crucial to ensure nutrition security and equitable livelihoods across the country. Globally 600 million people depend on fisheries and aquaculture for their livelihoods. Therefore, the potential of these sectors is immense.
FAO’s Blue Transformation, with a vision for creating more sustainable, productive, equitable and impactful fisheries and aquaculture sectors, was also discussed. It’s vision is to both increase the contribution of aquatic foods to ending hunger and poverty and also increase the consideration of aquatic foods in agrifood system strategies. Recently, the G20 agriculture minister, in the declaration mentioned blue transformation as a priority for the G20 country which is a welcoming and much-needed step.
FAO’s Blue Transformation aligns with the Government of India’s Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana – a scheme to bring about Blue Revolution through sustainable and responsible development of the fisheries sector in India.
The scheme of the Government of India aims to harness fisheries potential in a sustainable, responsible, inclusive and equitable manner, enhance fish production and productivity, modernize and strengthen value chain – post-harvest management and quality improvement, double fishers and fish farmers income, enhance contribution to agriculture GVA and exports and create a robust fisheries management and regulatory framework.
Fisheries and aquaculture are important sources of food, nutrition, employment and income in India. The sector provides livelihood to more than 20 million fishers and fish farmers at the primary level and twice the number along the value chain. It is the fastest-growing sector in the country. FAO will continue to offer its technical expertise and knowledge to strengthen and advance India’s aquaculture and the fishing community engaged with it.
