Tilapia Aquaculture Project

In News

• Recently, TDB-DST (Technology Development Board – Department of Science and Technology) entered a new domain by funding its first ever Aquaculture project using state of the art Israeli technology for production of Tilapia Fish.

What is Aquaculture?

• Cultivating aquatic organisms 
  • Aquaculture can be simply put as the controlled process of cultivating aquatic organisms, especially meant for human consumption.
• According to FAO of the United Nations
  • The farming of aquatic organisms including fish, molluscs, crustaceans and aquatic plants. Farming implies some sort of intervention in the rearing process to enhance production, such as regular stocking, feeding, protection from predators, etc.
• Ownership
  • Such farming also implies individual or corporate ownership of the stock being cultivated, the planning, development and operation of aquaculture systems, sites, facilities and practices, and the production and transport.

Why is Fisheries Important for India?

• Fastest growing sectors 
  • A fishery is one of the fastest growing sectors amongst the primary producing sectors. 
• Sunrise sector 
  • The sector plays a vital role in the economic and overall development of the country also referred to as the sunrise sector.
  • It is poised to bring in immense potential through equitable and inclusive growth.
• Providing employment 
  • The sector is recognized as a powerful engine for providing employment to 14.5 million people and sustaining livelihood for the 28 million fishermen community of the country. 

What is the Neel Kranti Mission (Blue Revolution)?

• Vision
  • The Neel Kranti Mission has the vision to achieve economic prosperity of the country and the fishers and fish farmers as well as contribute towards food and nutritional security through full potential utilization of water resources for fisheries development in a sustainable manner, keeping in view the bio-security and environmental concerns.
• Integrated development 
  • Its vision is to create an enabling environment for integrated development of the full potential of fisheries of the country.
• Improving income status 
  • It aims to improve the income status of fishers and fish farmers keeping in view the sustainability, bio-security and environmental concerns.
• The objectives include:
  • To increase the overall fish production in a responsible and sustainable manner for economic prosperity
  • To modernise the fisheries with special focus on new technologies
  • To ensure food and nutritional security
  • To generate employment and export earnings
  • To ensure inclusive development and empower fishers and aquaculture farmers

What is Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana?

• It is a flagship scheme for focused and sustainable development of the fisheries sector in the country with an estimated investment of 20,050 crore for its implementation during 2020-21 to 2024-25 as part of Aatmanirbhar Bharat package.

Aims

• To bring about the Blue Revolution through sustainable and responsible development of the fisheries sector in India.
• To enhance the fish production by an additional 70 lakh tonne by 2024-25, increasing fisheries export earnings to Rs.1, 00,000 crore by 2024-25.
• To double the incomes of fishers and fish farmers, reducing post-harvest losses from 20-25% to about 10% and the generation of gainful employment opportunities in the sector.

Implementation

• It will be implemented as an umbrella scheme with two separate components namely
  • Central Sector Scheme the project cost will be borne by the Central government.
  • Centrally Sponsored Scheme All the sub-components/activities will be implemented by the States/UTs and the cost will be shared between Centre and State.
• A well-structured implementation framework would be established for the effective planning and implementation of PMMSY.
• For optimal outcomes, ‘Cluster or area-based approach’ would be followed with requisite forward and backward linkages and end to end solutions.

Intended benefits of the scheme

• This scheme will address critical gaps in fish production and productivity, quality, technology, post-harvest infrastructure and management and logistics.
• It will help to improve the availability of certified quality fish seed and feed for international trade.
• The scheme helps in better traceability in fish and effective aquatic health management.
• It will create direct employment opportunities to about 15 lakh fishers, fish farmers, fish vendors and other rural and urban populations in fishing.
• This will further boost investments from states and private players in the fisheries sector and the increase in competitiveness of fish and fisheries products. The scheme will also help in doubling the incomes of fish farmers and fish workers by 2024.

Major Reforms undertaken by the Government 

• Some of the major reforms and steps taken by the Union Government to harness the potential of the Fisheries sector in a sustainable and responsible manner towards ushering the Blue Revolution in Fisheries include:
  • Creation of a separate Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying in the Union Government.
  • Setting up a new and dedicated Department of Fisheries with independent administrative structure.
  • Implementation of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme on Blue Revolution: Integrated Development and Management of Fisheries during the period 2015-16 to 2019-20.
  • Creation of Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF).
  • Launching of the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY).

Conclusion 

• Thus, the sector urges young entrepreneurs of the country to come forward and offer solutions, resolving on-ground challenges through technology interventions and innovative solutions.

Source: PIB