Hyderabad: Telangana is undergoing a remarkable surge in fish farming, marking a true “blue revolution” for the state. The fish production for 2022-23 has reached an impressive value of Rs.6,191 crore, reflecting a staggering 193 percent increase from Rs.2,111 crore in 2016-17.
The growth is attributed to the success of the fish seedlings distribution scheme initiated in 2017-18, which reported a fish production worth Rs.3,419 crore in its first year. In terms of quantity, fish production soared from 1,93,732 tonnes in 2016-17 to 2,62,252 tonnes in 2017-18, reaching an impressive 4,24,327 tonnes in 2022-23. According to a recent report by the Directorate of Statistics and Economics, the fish production increased by 119 percent.
Telangana, as the country’s third-largest inland water spread covering 5.73 lakh sq km, holds the fifth position nationally in terms of inland fish production. The state government’s initiative to distribute free fish seedlings across approximately 11,067 water bodies in 2017-18 has played a pivotal role in this success. With an investment of Rs.44.6 crore, around 51.08 crore fish seedlings were released, resulting in a fish production of 2.62 lakh tonnes within 8-10 months.
The last fiscal year witnessed even more impressive growth, with 77.14 crore fishlings valued at Rs.62.79 crore released in 23,799 water bodies, leading to a record-breaking 4.24 lakh tonnes of fish production valued at Rs.6,191 crore. Officials predict that Telangana is poised to surpass its own record in the current fiscal year, with fish production estimated to reach Rs.6,500 crore.
During the same period, prawn cultivation has also experienced substantial growth, recording a production of 14,142 tonnes valued at Rs.465 crore in 2022-23 across 279 water bodies. State government interventions have not only contributed to this boom in fish production but have also led to a significant increase in the average income levels of Fishermen Cooperative Societies (FCS) and their members.
The number of FCSs has grown by 15 percent, from 4,002 in 2016-17 to 4,604 in 2020-21, with membership rising by eight percent during the same period, from 2.85 lakh in 2016-17 to 3.09 lakh in 2020-21. Key statistics include fishlings distribution growing from 27.85 crore in 2016-17 to 77.14 crore in 2022-23, fish production shooting up from 1.93 lakh tonnes in 2016-17 to 4.24 lakh tonnes in 2022-23, and prawn production increasing from 7,783 tonnes in 2017-18 to 14,142 tonnes in 2022-23, with the production value escalating from Rs.171.23 crore in 2017-18 to Rs.465 crore in 2022-23.