The 7th General Assembly of World Forum of Fisher Peoples was innaugurated by Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh. Radha Mohan Singh said that fisheries is an emerging sector of agricultural and allied activities in India, which provides nutritional security and employment opportunities and helps 15 million people in earning their livelihoods. He said it at the 7th General Assembly of World Forum of Fisher Peoples. The three-day event is being organised by the National Fishworkers Forum in Delhi. The Minister said that India is the leading fish producing nation in the world and second largest in aquaculture production. He said the country produces around 114 million tonnes of fish and the annual growth rate is more than 6 per cent, a sign of immense opportunities in the coming years. Nearly 67 per cent of fish production comes from the inland sector and the remaining 33 per cent from the marine sector. The minister said that said for the success of Blue Revolution, a Rs 3,000 crore plan was announced in December 2015 with a target of increasing the fish production by 50 per cent and taking the production to 150 million tonnes by 2019-20. During the last three years 2014-15 to 2016-17 an amount of Rs 1214 crore has been released to the States / UTs for the implementation of Blue Revolution scheme. He said the aim of Blue Revolution is: to increase the overall production of fish, focus on new and innovative technologies, ensuring food and nutritional security, and empowering fishermen. The implementation of the scheme will help in creating employment, consumers’ accessibility to the market and reforms in production and export. There is a need to develop innovative technologies to increase productivity and production for various aquaculture and fishery resources.
2017 The Pioneer