National Workshop Organized on Role of Cooperatives and Federations in Fisheries Sector

National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), Ministry of Fisheries, AH&D, GoI, organized a National level Workshop in Hyderabad on the "Role of cooperatives and federations in the fisheries sector-scope for an enhanced role in PMMSY and FIDF schemes."

The workshop aimed to involve fisheries federations in the implementation of government fisheries development schemes for the benefit of fishermen via a cooperative system. The programme served as an interactive platform for fisheries federations to showcase and share their activities. The federations expressed an interest in investigating various opportunities and provisions available under schemes such as the "Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) & Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) for the benefit of fishermen and fisherwomen cooperatives."

The workshop also emphasized the importance of strengthening fisher cooperatives, with a particular emphasis on the gaps in the field and the challenges that cooperatives face in different states. The officials of fisheries federations were educated on various Government of India schemes that would allow them to access financial resources from PMMSY and FIDF to aid in the development of fishermen cooperatives.

The workshop was attended by officials from 14 states, including Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Odisha, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Tripura, as well as the National Cooperatives Development Corporations (NCDC) and the National Federation of Fishers Cooperatives Ltd (FISHCOPFED). Dr. C Suvarna IFS, Chief Executive, NFDB, addressed the gathering by presenting NFDB initiatives to encourage fisheries cooperatives through various interventions of Government of India schemes, including Fish Farmer Producer Organizations (FPO).

The integration and coordination of workflow among primary fishermen cooperative societies (PFCS) at the district and state level fisheries federations were also emphasized. Approaches for filling gaps and overcoming constraints were discussed in order to make the cooperatives successful, including branding, promotion activities, marketing, knowledge sharing among the fishermen cooperatives, and conflict resolution mechanisms. Other dignitaries were present. P.D. Dheman, IFS, MD, Madhya Pradesh Fisheries Federation, spoke about the federation's role in supporting fisher development.

B. K. Mishra, MD (i/c), FISHCOPFED, explained the role of FISHCOPFED in supporting fishers and cooperatives, stating that there are 22000 fishermen cooperative societies operating throughout India and that there is a need for professional empowerment of PFCS.

Director (F&TD) NCDC, Prabu Paul Raj has presented NCDC activities and their role in developing Fisheries Federations,  followed by sharing of experiences and success stories of  MatsyaFed, Kerala,  TAFCOFED, Tamil Nadu, Assam Fisheries Federation, Assam, Karnataka Cooperative Fisheries Federation, Karnataka, TSFCOF, Telangana, Odisha Fisheries Federation, Odisha, ZOFISHFED, Mizoram, Rajasthan Federation, AFCOF, Andhra Pradesh, TAFCS, Tripura and Jharkhand State Cooperative Fisheries Federation, Jharkhand.

Dr. C. Suvarana, IFS Chief Executive, delivered closing remarks at the meeting. Conflicts between panchayats and cooperatives were expressed as requiring the intervention of the state fisheries department. There is a need to focus on transportation, and marketing through cold chain development, which the federation must prioritize in order to support the best price for the fishermen cooperatives, as well as capacity-building programmes. KCCs are vital and must be protected by fisher cooperatives and federations. The interactive meeting drew 50 people in total.