|
|
|
You can get e-magazine links on WhatsApp. Click here
|
|
|
|
|
|
Centre looking at Blue Revolution; Marine sector expecting investments
|
|
Monday, 20 October, 2014, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
|
|
Libin Chacko Kurian, Mumbai
|
|
fiogf49gjkf0d With the government gearing up for a Blue Revolution, the production and export of marine products are expected to increase in India, and the sector is expecting huge domestic and foreign investments.
Following prime minister Narendra Modi’s statement that a Blue Revolution was necessary to harness the fisheries sector’s potential, the Centre appointed a seven-member committee to recommend changes in the Indian marine fishing policy.
The committee, headed by Dr B Meenakumari, deputy director general (fisheries), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), submitted its report to the ministry of agriculture, whose nod it is awaiting.
It contained a number of recommendations to revive the marine sector. These included attracting investments from overseas and joint ventures and increasing fishing in deep waters.
The report found that the scope to increase production in the waters near the shore was limited. But those beyond the 200m-mark had not been optimally exploited. Fishing communities from various coastal states have already objected to these recommendations.
It also recommended that a buffer zone be created between the waters near the shore and those offshore. The report focussed on the international demand for marine products from the deep sea.
It added, “Waters having a depth of upto 200m are optimally exploited. The exploitation of resources in waters whose depth is between 200 and 500m is now beginning, as small fishing boats are targeting the resources in this area.”
“It is recommended that this depth zone may largely be a buffer zone to augment the resources in both the near-shore waters as well as those in the off-shore areas,” the report stated.
“Subsequently, this zone could also be utilised to diversify the existing fishing fleet for targeting resources such as squids, and reduce the pressure on near-shore waters in the future,” it added.
“Waters whose depth is beyond 500m, however, have not been optimally exploited. There is a considerable scope for expansion in this zone, mainly for tuna and tuna-like species,” the report said.
“Resource-specific fishing vessels may be introduced in this area, based on the resource potential of such commercials species as tuna and squid,” it added.
“Poor entrepreneurship in deep-sea fishing, the lack of endurance, the use of old and outdated technologies and the absence of research and development (R&D) inputs in the modernisation of the fishing fleet are some of the hurdles yet to be crossed by the marine fisheries sector to make India a true deep sea fishing nation,” it added.
Pratip Kumar Chatterji, secretary, National Fish Workers’ Forum, said, “Foreign investments are no solution for the problems faced by the Indian marine sector.”
“Over-fishing, pollution and encroaching are also impacting the development of the fishing communities. Instead of encouraging foreign investment or deep-sea exploitation, the government should support domestic fishermen,” he added.
“The committee recommended the creation of buffer zones and restricting fishermen from capturing fish beyond 200m, which are objectionable,” Chatterji said.
“Traditional fishermen are now fishing beyond the territorial waters with small vessels. The committee wants that such fishing be controlled immediately, which we cannot accept. We are concerned about the small fishermen and their livelihoods,” he added.
In a release highlighting the ministry’s initiatives and achievements, agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh said, “India is the world’s second largest producer of fish. However, it still scores low on the productivity scale.”
“India has large natural resources, and water bodies such as reservoirs, lakes and ponds, in addition to an 8,118km-long coastline. So it is well positioned to have a Blue Revolution,” he added.
“Keeping in view the country’s potential, the Centre announced a new scheme, ‘Blue Revolution – Inland Fisheries’, to increase the fish production,” the minister said.
“This would focus on increasing the productivity and introducing new technologies. A budget of Rs 50 crore has been sanctioned for the purpose,” he informed.
In the last five months, about 6,013 fishermen have been trained under various training programmes of the ministry.
In the coastal states, about 2,700 traditional boats in the coastal states would be motorised, for which an assistance of Rs 400 lakh has been released, and the construction of seven fishing harbours has been supported, with the release of Rs 1,500 lakh.
The Centre planned to provide assistance worth Rs 157 crore for the construction of new hatcheries, ponds, cages, open sea cages and cold water fisheries under the National Mission of Protein Supplement.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|