Blue Revolution

Government to Launch Blue Revolution

Government to launch Blue Revolution as a major thrust: announces Shri Radha Mohan Singh, Minister for Agriculture on World Fisheries Day. Shri Radha Mohan Singh, Minister for Agriculture  on the occasion of World Fisheries Day informed that the Government is focused to usher in a Blue Revolution meaning increase in fish production and productivity in the country on the occasion of World Fisheries Day. National Fisheries Development Board under Ministry of Agriculture organized celebrations on World Fisheries Day. The Minister informed that India ranks world number two in fish production and also the second highest aquaculture country in the world. India with a fishermen population of 14.5 million and a coastal line of 8118 kilometers can rise to be a major player in the world fisheries. India also has a fleet of 200,000 fishing vessels and last year has exported fish worth 5 billion US dollars. The Minister informed that India has a vast area of unutilized and untapped Inland water resources and is short of for quality fish seed and formulated fish feed and government will focus on filling the critical gaps. He informed that the Government has announced a new scheme “Blue Revolution-Inland Fisheries” in the last budget session and the Government is likely to launch very soon a programme to usher in Blue Revolution in the country. Even though the per capita income consumption in the world for fish is 18 kilograms per annum, India stands at 8 kilograms. India currently produces 9.58 million metric tonnes of fish out of which 64% of production is Inland and 36% is from marine sources. The Minister also informed that the fisheries can be an engine of growth due to high growth rates of 7.9% in Inland fisheries last year. He also informed that Fisheries sector in our country is a small scale nature with vast majorities of stakeholders along the value chain from production to consumption. In India, fisheries is recognized as a powerful income and employment generator as it stimulates growth of a number of subsidiary sectors. Fisheries in both inland and marine waters have been contributing as an important source of livelihood and supplies nutritious protein for the growing population. In fact, with exponential increase in human populations, the food demand, shrinkage of cultivable land and decline in the agricultural productivity, role of fisheries sector to fulfill the growing demand for food is of paramount importance for nutritional security. From a mere traditional activity years ago, the fisheries sector has transformed into a significant commercial enterprise with an impressive growth in recent times. As per the latest FAO statistics released in 2014 (The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2014), the global fish production has reached to 158 million tonnes, with food fish supply increasing at an average annual rate of 3.2 percent, outpacing world population growth at 1.6 percent.