In India, fisheries provide full-time job for 6 million fishermen and fish
farmers, and earn foreign exchange equivalent to 47,000 million rupees, Shr
imps, crabs, lobsters, squids and finfishes constitute major items of our e
xport; these were previously sent dried and canned but presently in frozen
form; increasingly, live fishes are being now exported. Strategies for incr
easing fisheries export, processed at a cheaper cost, in a value-added form
, for a higher unit price are suggested. Scope for expanding capture (offsh
ore and deep-sea) fisheries, and intensive but eco-friendly culture fisheri
es including exotic fishes is explained. Importance of maintaining high sta
ndards of hygiene at the collection and processing centres is highlighted.
For the quantum export earning, budget allocation by the Central Government
for fisheries development is woefully low (0.3% of the total outlay), and
for research development is also low (6% of the ICAR budget outlay), The ur
gent need for the formation of a separate Ministry for Fisheries in the Cen
tral Government, and strategies for overall developmental fisheries are emp
hasized.