Fisheries Summer Meet 2024 to Share Progress, Challenges, and Future Strategies

The Fisheries Summer Meet 2024 will be held on July 12th in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. This event will spotlight the achievements of various programmes and schemes, with a particular emphasis on the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana. The meet aims to unite all States and UTs to discuss their progress, challenges, opportunities, and plan future actions. It will gather fish farmers, researchers, industry experts, entrepreneurs, and policymakers to share experiences and explore opportunities for the sustainable development of fisheries.

The Fisheries Summer Meet 2024 will seek to highlight the achievements of various programmes and schemes with a special focus on Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana. It will also strive to bring together all States and UTs to share their progress, challenges, opportunities and chalk out future course of action

According to an official release, India is blessed with rich and diverse fisheries resources and a variety of fish species are found that enrich our biodiversity. Fisheries and aquaculture is a promising sector that provides livelihood and employment opportunities to about three crore fishers and fish farmers at the primary level and many more along the fisheries’ value chain.

“India is also the second largest fish producing country with around eight per cent share in global fish production. Globally, India also stands second in aquaculture production and is one of the top shrimp producing and exporting nations, besides being the third largest capture fisheries producer,” the release said. These achievements are a cumulative effect of several transformational initiatives for holistic development of fisheries and aquaculture sector.

Recognising the immense potential of the fisheries and aquaculture sector and for focused and holistic development, the Centre has approved the highest ever investments in fisheries and aquaculture sector. The total investment of Rs 38,572 crore includes financial aid for impactful projects and initiatives through Department of Fisheries, namely the Blue Revolution Scheme (Rs. 5,000 crore), Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) Rs. 7,522 crore), Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) Rs. 20,050 crore and a sub-scheme under PMMSY - Pradhan Mantri Matsya Samridhi Sah Yojana (PM-MKSSY) Rs 6000 crore approved in February 2024.

To foster consultation with States/UTs, exhibit the contributions made by fish farmers, entrepreneurs and fishermen for the development of the fisheries and aquaculture sector and raise awareness about various initiatives, 'Fisheries Summer Meet 2024’ is being organised on July 12 at Madurai, Tamil Nadu, the release said.

The Fisheries Summer Meet 2024 is being organised under the leadership of Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh in the presence of Ministers of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Prof. S.P Singh Baghel, George Kurian and Minister of Fisheries, Govt of Tamil Nadu, Anitha R. Radhakrishnan. The meet will also see presence of State Fisheries ministers from various states/UTs and other key delegates.

Fisheries Summer Meet 2024 brings together fish farmers, researchers, industry experts, entrepreneurs, and policymakers to share experiences, and explore prospects for the sustainable development of fisheries and will be a platform to highlight the achievements of various program schemes with a special focus on PMMSY and deliberations with leadership from States/UTs.

The key highlights will be a fisheries exhibition, State/UT wise discussions by Ministers, virtual inauguration of Fisheries’ Projects and interaction with fishermen/fisherwomen, distribution of KCC to beneficiaries and PMMSY achievement award letters to beneficiaries, felicitation of Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) on-boarded Fish Farmer Producer Organization (FFPOs) among others.

Fisheries Summer Meet 2024 strives to bring together all States and UTs to share their progress, challenges, opportunities and chalk out future course of action.

Senior officials will use the opportunity to highlight the various schemes and programmes of DoF, their progress and successes, and dwell on the ICAR initiatives in fisheries, while leaders from the States/UTs will share progress from states, discuss their challenges and put forth their upcoming plans.