The Indian economy depends heavily on the fishing industry. In addition to creating jobs, it supports exports, national income, and food and nutritional security. About 30 million people in India depend on the fishing industry, known as the “Sunrise Sector,” to support their livelihoods, especially those of the weaker and marginalized populations. The Indian government has implemented a number of measures to improve fisheries productivity and production. As a result, the country’s total fish production (inland and marine) increased from 95.79 lakh tonnes in FY 2013–14 to 175.45 lakh tonnes in FY 2022–23. By March 2025, the country hopes to have increased its total fish production to 220 lakh tonnes.
The Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), implemented from 2020-21 to 2024-25 with an outlay of Rs 20,050 crore, has witnessed remarkable progress in boosting fish production, infrastructure development, and employment generation in the country. The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying has set an ambitious target of boosting seafood exports to Rs 1 lakh crore by 2029 against current export value worth Rs 60,000 crore in the previous fiscal year. The country therefore not only contributes significantly to both domestic and global food baskets but also supports the livelihoods of around 30 million people in rural India in the capacity of the 3rd largest fish producer, 2nd largest aquaculture nation in the world after China and the largest producer of shrimp.
A study by Global Seafood Alliance mentions that despite being the third largest fish-producing nation in the world, India is positioned 129th among 183 countries in terms of per capita fish food supply. The study further projects the fish consumption patterns in India to double and reach 26.50 million metric tonnes (MT) between 2047 and 2048, with annual per capita fish consumption expected to reach 16.07 kg.
Indian fisheries have experienced an enormous transformation in recent years, transitioning from being primarily a maritime industry to an inland fisheries-driven sector, thereby contributing around 70 per cent of the country’s total fish production. Inland fisheries therefore account for substantially more of the country’s total fish production. Also, the shift from capture to culture fisheries has contributed significantly towards the rise of a sustainable blue economy.
The nation’s vast network of tanks and ponds, covering approximately 2.36 million hectares, is a major driving factor towards the promotion of culture-based fishery. The government is pooling in investments to revive rearing and grow-out pond areas, diversification of species and adoption of sustainable aquaculture practices. The PMMSY has thus sanctioned numerous projects, to further boost the production of fish and improve productivity from 3 tonne per hectare to 5 tonne per hectare. Recently, brackish and saline aquaculture has also witnessed significant growth, particularly in shrimp farming, which drives India’s seafood export earnings.
According to government reports, despite having 1.42 million hectares of saline area, only 13 per cent is currently utilised. States like Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, with high soil salinity, have been targeted to promote saline water aquaculture in the country. Besides brackish aquaculture, cold water fisheries, particularly in the Himalayan states, offer another promising avenue for revenue generation. Cold water fisheries are gaining traction in terms of generating significant employment opportunities and contributing to niche markets, particularly for omega-rich trout, which is considered a high-value product across the Himalayan region.
As a way forward towards driving growth and resilience in the fisheries sector, the Department of Fisheries received a historic allocation of Rs 2,584.50 crore for FY 2024-25, to enable the implementation of the PMMSY, Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF), and other developmental schemes aimed at promoting sustainable and responsible fisheries practices.
Since 2015, the Government of India has allocated a sum of Rs 38,572 crore to the fisheries sector through the Blue Revolution Scheme, FIDF, PMMSY and the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah-Yojana (PM-MKSSY). These initiatives, led by the Department of Fisheries, have propelled growth in the fisheries sector, thereby uplifting the livelihoods of fishermen and marginalised communities, including the tribal population. In this growth, small-scale fisheries are expected to contribute significantly towards food security and nutrition, generating income, and supporting livelihoods, across rural and coastal economies of India.
India exports frozen shrimps, fish, cuttlefish, squids, dried items, and live and chilled items out of which frozen shrimp is the largest exported marine product contributing to more than 40 per cent of the total exports and about 66.12 per cent of the total export value. During 2023-24, frozen fish, cuttlefish, and squid accounted for 21.42 per cent, 3.05 per cent, and 5.25 per cent of the total export value of marine products, respectively. According to IBEF, marine exports from India are expected to reach $14 billion by 2025. The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) is playing a pivotal role towards framing this roadmap to achieve this target, which constitutes necessary steps to enhance production and promote seafood.