Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairy, will inaugurate the sixth stage of Sagar Parikrama in the Andaman Islands.
Rupala stated, “The industry has changed over the previous 75 years with a 22-fold rise in fish output. With a 10.34% increase in fish output from 2020–21 to 2021–22, India’s overall fish production increased from just 7.5 lakh tonnes in 1950–51 to a record 162.48 lakh tonnes per year in 2021–22.
With around 8% of the world’s total fish production, India is now the third-largest fish producer. According to the Minister, India is one of the world’s top producers of cultivated prawns and ranks second in aquaculture output.
According to him, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands offer a significant amount of potential for the development of fisheries given their 35,000 sq km continental shelf area and 1,962 kilometres of coastline. About 6,000 km2 of this island’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) contains tremendous fishing potential.
The Department of Fisheries, Andaman and Nicobar Administration is implementing various schemes/programs to increase fish production by harvesting the untapped fishery resources without harming the delicate ecosystem and towards the welfare and upliftment of fishermen, the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture stated.
In order to meet fishermen, fish farmers, and recipients of various government programmes, as well as to interact with them and learn directly from them about their concerns and ideas for improving the fisheries sector in the country for the benefit of the fishermen and other stakeholders, Rupala has undertaken the innovative “Sagar Parikrama” initiative.
More than 2.8 crore fishermen and fish growers at the primary level, as well as thousands of people farther down the value chain, depend on the fishing industry for their livelihood, employment, and entrepreneurial opportunities. According to the report, this industry has gradually developed over the years to become a crucial pillar of the country’s socioeconomic development.
The Minister declared: “The journey of the First Phase of “Sagar Parikrama” started from Mandvi, Gujarat on March 5, 2022, and so far in the Five Phases of Sagar Parikrama the coastal areas of Gujarat, Daman and Diu, Maharashtra, and Karnataka have been covered in the western coast.” The tour, known as Sagar Parikrama Phase-VI, will cover the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, including Kodiyaghat, Port Blair, the Panighat Fish Landing Centre, the VK Pur Fish Lending Centre, Hutbay, and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island, among other places.
The Sagar Parikrama event will take place in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on May 29–30, 2023. Rupala and senior officials from the UT Administration of Andaman and Nicobar, Department of Fisheries, Government of India, National Fisheries Development Board, RGCA and MPEDA, Indian Coast Guard, Fishery Survey of India, and fishermen representatives will attend.
At the ceremony, progressive fishermen, fish farmers, young fishery entrepreneurs, and others will get certificates or punishments connected to the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada scheme (PMMSY) and Kisan Credit Card (KCC). To promote the PMMSY scheme, UT schemes, e-shram, FIDF, and KCC among fishermen, literature on these programmes must be widely disseminated through print, electronic, video, and digital campaigns using catchy jingles.
Sagar Parikrama is a programme that reflects the government’s comprehensive policy approach that involves direct communication with fishers and fish growers to comprehend the problems that fishermen face in coastal areas. Sagar Parikrama will significantly alter how fisherman designs their business plans. As a result, this Sagar Parikrama will have a significant impact on the livelihood and overall development of fishermen and fisher folk in the next years, including climate change and sustainable development.