The state Fisheries department has come up with West Bengal Inland Fisheries Policy 2023 to create an enabling ecosystem which will trigger private sector participation in this sector, including those of the self-help groups and Fish Production Groups (FPG). The state Cabinet led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee cleared the policy on Monday.
According to the policy, for large water bodies having an area of more than 5 acres which are privately owned, incentives will be provided in the form of credit linkage, margin money, transport and other infrastructure support if the owners of the water body form FFPOs (Fish Farmers’ Production Organisation) for scientific pisciculture.
A scheme for insurance of fishing stock will be put in place to mitigate the risk involved in aquaculture for such fishermen as members of any FFPO. The benefit will be available to individual fishermen possessing/cultivating waterbodies having an area up to one hectare each and the cooperatives/SHGs/FPGs possessing/cultivating waterbodies having an area of up to 5 hectares. “We will also provide free insurance coverage to individual SC/ST fish farmers belonging to any FFPO. Others will get financial assistance up to 60 per cent of the total cost of insurance premium,” a senior official of the department said.
Big government-owned water bodies, having an area of more than 10 hectares and land available at government farms will be earmarked for setting up of Demonstration Centers by private entrepreneurs for infusion of private capital and introduction of latest pisciculture techniques. These centres will spread the best practices of scientific and innovative pisciculture and will encourage farmers at large to opt for adopting such type of capital and technology-intensive pisciculture which, in turn, will increase fish production.
“The policy is aimed at providing gainful employment to the rural youth with sustained income and ensuring enhancement in inland freshwater fish production by unlocking vast fish production potential while preserving aquatic biodiversity and ecosystems by promoting economically viable, ecologically sustainable and scientific evidence-based interventions,” Biplab Roy Chowdhury, state Fisheries minister said.
The policy has also emphasised scientific desiltation in the backdrop of many water bodies becoming shallow, due to eutrophication and ingress of silt during floods or heavy rainfall. Siltation over the years reduces the available volume for culture. As projected in the policy, the state produced 18.43 lakh metric tons of fish and 27 billion fish seeds during 2021-22. It also exported 1.17 lakh metric tons of fish (mostly frozen shrimp) worth more than Rs 5000 crore.
If all the water bodies are gainfully utilized the total fish production in the state can reach around 33 lakh MT per year. There has been limited private investment in the inland freshwater fisheries with the average productivity being around three tons per hectare in this sector. However, it can be increased to six to eight tons per hectare through scientific fish farming.
The policy has proposed that in case of government-owned large water bodies of an area of more than 5 acres which are under-utilised, it may be leased out to private entrepreneurs or fishermen operative societies / SHGs / FPOs / FPGs through a centralized online bidding system. “In rural areas, women SHGs may be encouraged to take small private ponds on lease and go for aquaculture including spawn to table fish production,” the official said.