In the period from 2014-15 to 2022-23, the inland fish production in North Eastern States has experienced an impressive average annual growth rate of 5.38%. According to data from the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying, the total fish production in the region escalated from 4.03 lakh tonnes in 2014-15 to its highest recorded production of 6.04 lakh tonnes during the fiscal year 2022-23.
To bolster the development of fisheries and aquaculture in the country, the Ministry implemented the Blue Revolution, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, from 2015-16 to 2019-20. A substantial project worth Rs. 391.95 crore was sanctioned specifically for the North Eastern States.
Building on the success of the Blue Revolution, the Government of India launched another flagship scheme in the fiscal year 2020-21, namely the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). This initiative, with an investment of Rs. 20,050 crore over a 5-year period (from FY 2020-21 to 2024-25), aims to holistically develop fisheries and aquaculture.
PMMSY focuses on enhancing fish production by establishing new freshwater finfish hatcheries, constructing rearing ponds, biofloc ponds, Re-circulatory Aquaculture System (RAS), ornamental fish rearing units, and providing support such as boats and nets for traditional fishermen. Notably, a minimum of 10% of the annual allocation under the scheme has been earmarked for the North Eastern Region.
Under PMMSY, a total of Rs. 1391.62 crore worth of projects have been approved for the North Eastern States from 2020-21 to 2023-24 (as of the current date).
In addition to these initiatives, the government extended the facility of Kisan Credit Card (KCC) to fisher and fish farmers in 2018-19, aiming to facilitate easy access to credit for aquaculture farmers, fish farms, and fishing activities. To date, a total of 1,70,674 KCCs, with a loan amount of Rs. 1893.43 crore, have been issued, including 16,870 KCCs in the North Eastern Region.
