Flagship Program On Fisheries

• At the ICAR-CIBA campus in Chennai, the Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairy launched three National Flagship Programs.

About the programs:

National Surveillance Programme for Aquatic Animal Diseases (NSPAAD) Phase-II:

• With a focus on enhancing the farmer-based disease surveillance system, NSPAAD Phase-I was introduced in 2013.
• Objective: To ensure that disease instances are reported swiftly, examined, and farmers receive scientific help.
• NSPAAD Phase II will be implemented across India, and all the state fisheries departments, along with the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) are expected to play an essential role in this nationally important monitoring project
• The government has authorised the NSPAAD phase II in order to increase the intensity of effort under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana.
• Fish infections cost the Indian economy around 7200 crores a year, therefore treating the diseases requires early detection and regulating the spread.

Genetic Improvement Program of Penaeus indicus (Indian White Shrimp)-Phase-I:

• The genetic enhancement program for Penaeus indicus, the Indian white shrimp, has been taken on by ICAR-CIBA as a national priority under the Make in India initiative.
• Necessity for the Program: One exotic breed of Pacific white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) free of specific pathogens is what the shrimp farming industry counts on the most .
• Around 70% of India's seafood exports, worth Rs. 42000 crores, come from farmed shrimp alone. Yet, the entire industry is largely dependent on a dangerous supply of exotic Pacific white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei).
• The government has made the genetic improvement programme for the Indian white shrimp (P. indicus) a top priority at the national level in an effort to reduce this reliance on a single species and to promote local species.
• Dependence on a single species for the production of 10 lakh tonnes, the subsistence of 2 lakh farm households directly, and approximately 10 lakh families indirectly affiliated with ancillary sectors is extremely dangerous.
• Throughout the previous ten years, India's shrimp production increased by nearly 430%.
• In order to create a National Genetic Improvement Facility for shrimp breeding, the Department of Fisheries has approved the "Genetic Improvement Program of Penaeus indicus (Indian White Shrimp)-Phase-I" with an outlay of Rs. 25 crore.
• It will end the reliance on a particular species and encourage native species over invasive shrimp species.

Shrimp Crop Insurance Product:

• Due to the reputation of shrimp farming as a risky enterprise, banks and insurance companies are wary of entering the shrimp market.
• Due to limited access to institutional credit and insurance, the majority of aquaculture farmers are small-scale operators with only two to three ponds. As a result, raising operating capital for the crop is extremely difficult.
• With the assistance of Alliance Insurance brokers, ICAR-CIBA created a Shrimp Crop Insurance product that Oriental Insurance Company Ltd filed with the IRDAI.
• It levies a variable premium ranging from 3.7 to 7.7% of input costs depending on the area and needs of the particular farmer.
• In the event of a complete crop loss, farmers will get compensation in the amount of 80% of the lost input cost. i.e., a crop loss of greater than 70%.

About Indian Fisheries:

• With a fish production of 14.73 million metric tonnes, India is the third-largest fish producer in the world. Over 7 lakh tonnes of farmed shrimp are exported from India annually.
• India is one of the top 5 fish exporting nations in the world, sending seafood to over 120 other nations.
• Fish and fish products make up around 16% of the agricultural exports of our nation.
• With a growth rate of 6 to 10% over the previous five years, fishing is the nation's top agricultural export by far. At the same time period, the farm sector's growth rate was about 2.5%.

Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY):

• By 2024–2025, the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) aims to enhance fish output by an extra 70 lakh tonnes and generate Rs 1 lakh crore in fish export revenue.
• to close significant gaps in fish productivity, output, quality, post-harvest infrastructure, technology, and marketing along the fisheries value chain.
• To ensure the socioeconomic welfare of fish farmers and fishermen while strengthening and modernising the value chain, creating a framework for fisheries management, and improving traceability.
• In order to enhance the fisheries industry and improve the welfare of fishermen, the government approved the PMMSY with an anticipated investment of Rs.20,050 crore.
• All Indian States and Union Territories are participating in this programme, which will run from 2020–2021 to 2024–2025.

Indian fisheries encounter difficulties:

• Sustainability: According to the Food and Agriculture Organization's Status of World Fisheries and Aquaculture reports, approximately 90% of all marine fish populations worldwide have either reached full or exceeded capacity.
• Difficulty of access to credit: Because fishing has always been regarded as a risky industry, small farmers have been compelled to incur expensive debt.
• Infrastructure Deficit: The enormous catch spoils due to a lack of refrigeration facilities. Fish exports are now prohibited as a result of the formalin used to keep the stock fresh.

ICAR-CIBA :

• The Central Institute of Brackish Water Aquaculture (CIBA), run by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), was founded in Chennai by the Indian government's Ministry of Agriculture.
• The central organization for the growth of brackish water aquaculture in the nation is CIBA.
• Brackish water's importance is Due to its rich biodiversity, high productivity, wide tolerance of fish to water parameters, minimum impact on potable water, and low carbon emission, brackish water resources are regarded as unique and excellent for aquaculture.