India plans to ramp up fish production hoping to challenge China's output
SEAFOODNEWS.COM [HT Media] By Sayantan Bera - November 24, 2014 -
New Delhi, India will ramp up fish production in the coming years with a target of matching China's output, agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh said on Friday.
At 9.58 million tonnes, India is the second largest producer of fish (marine and inland) in the world after China. "We may be the second largest producer in the world but China with 70 million tonnes of annual production is way ahead of India. We need to spruce up inland aqua-culture as marine fisheries has a limited potential," Singh said. Fisheries can be an engine of growth; inland fisheries saw a high growth rate of 7.9% last year, he added.
Singh further said the ministry is formulating proposals to increase subsidies for development of inland fisheries -- from the present 20-25% to 50% of the project cost. "We have already developed 21 lakh hectare area for seed production and sanctioned 252 fish markets across the country in the past five months," he said.
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