Odisha Becomes Fourth Largest Fish Producing State: Minister

Bhubaneswar: Odisha has emerged as the fourth largest fish producing state in the country with annual production of 9.91 lakh ton during 2021-22, contributing significantly to the state’s economy.

During the last two decades, fish production in Odisha has increased from 2.60 lakh ton to 9.91 lakh ton in 2021-22. With this, it now ranks fourth in fish production in the country.

The spectacular growth could be achieved following the implementation of a favourable and innovative policy for fish farming by the state government and use of latest technology, Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain said.

Steps taken for promoting farming of improved varieties of fish and use of fish feed also played a major role in giving a significant boost to fish production in the state, he said speaking at a webinar ‘Fish Farming in India and Strengthening of Marine Food Processing’ on Saturday.

The Minister said fish production in the state which was worth Rs 1,046 crore in 2000-01 has increased by around 10 times to Rs 10,815 crore in 2020-21.

The pisciculture sector now accounts for around 2.4% of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) in the state, he said, adding that brackish water shrimp production has also witnessed a six fold jump.

Noting that effective utilisation of the 480 km long coastline of Odisha has led to an impressive growth in marine food exports, Swain said marine food exports from the state has increased from Rs 379 crore in 2000-01 to Rs 4,526 crore in 2021-22, registering a 12 fold rise.

The state government has set a target of increasing the volume of marine food exports to Rs 20,000 crore by 2030 when the total fish production in Odisha is expected to grow to 22 lakh ton, the Minister added.