Date:05/07/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/07/05/stories/2009070552830300.htm

Other States - Orissa

Pawar asks States to increase productivity of water bodies

Staff Reporter

Plan to almost double the fish export from Rs. 8,000 cr. to Rs. 15,400 cr. by 2022

Only 40 per cent available cultivable water area under aquaculture, says Sharad Pawar
Naveen urges Pawar to consider the proposal for transferring Paradip fishing harbour to State

All ears: Sharad Pawar, Union Minister for Agriculture and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the convention of State Fisheries Ministers in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.

BHUBANESWAR: Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar here on Saturday asked all States and Union Territories to bring in more water bodies under aquaculture practices and increase the productivity of water bodies through scientific management and inputs.

Addressing a convention of State Fisheries Ministers, secretaries and heads of fishery research institutes here, Mr. Pawar said with only 40 per cent available cultivable water area under aquaculture, the country has been able to produce as much as 3.22 million tones with average productivity of tanks and ponds of about 2.5 tonnes per hectare per year.

“By increasing the coverage of water area and aiming at productivity, it is projected that the total production from freshwater aquaculture sector could be about 5.3 million tones in the next five years,” he said.

India has drawn an ambitious plan to almost double the value of fish export from present level of Rs. 8,000 crore to Rs. 15,400 crore by 2022. It aims to take the fish production level from 7.13 million tonnes to 12.70 mt by emphasising on inland capture fisheries and freshwater aquaculture.

“With production from capture fisheries already reaching maximum sustainable levels, it is time to look forward for enhancing the bio-mass through alternative approaches such as open sea cage farming, use of fish aggregating devices and artificial reefs,” Mr. Pawar said.

The Union Agriculture Minister pointed out that species such as shrimps, oysters, crabs, lobsters, sea cucumbers and seaweeds could be important alternative to excel in this sector.

Speaking on the occasion Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik urged Mr. Pawar to consider the proposal for improving infrastructure and transferring Paradip Fishing Harbour to the State government.

Aquaculture should be treated at par with agriculture so as to flow of adequate support to the sector would be ensured, Mr. Patnaik said adding that hatchery technology should be developed and disseminated targeting diversified fishes for freshwater aquaculture.

Earlier Deputy Director General (Fisheries) S. Ayyappan said the Union government needed to facilitate and monitor improvement of deep sea fisheries. Pointing out restrictions on fisheries for turtle nesting along Orissa coast and water bodies controlled by the forest department, he said restricted zones along the coast should be rationalised for fisheries and aquaculture.

Among others Union Minister of State for Agriculture K.V. Thomas, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture Research and Education Mangala Rai and director of the Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture A.E. Eknath were present on the occasion.