By Nageshwar Patnaik in Bhubaneswar, May 19, 2015 :

In a bid to boost exports in the fisheries sector, Odisha government has worked out an ambitious plan to spend Rs 128 crore to modernize the 107 operating Aquaculture Estates in the state.

“Work order will be issued in a week’s time to beef up necessary infrastructure to these aqua clusters. Our target to achieve Rs 10,000 crore export figure in the next few years”, state fisheries and animal resources development secretary, Bishnupad Sethi said.

The Estates, building on a cluster approach, are seen as the way forward for introducing scientific farming systems into the sector and making available advance fish culture technology and mechanisms for benefit of all.

At present 17 aqua clusters mostly in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur and Ganjam district are in operation which has been provided with proper road and power connectivity.

“Cluster approach not only organises culture fisheries but also push productivity through improved technical design of farmers and common infrastructure provisions. It also simplifies regulatory procedures like single window clearance for issue of licenses and registration and enable effective control on pollution hazards”, Sethi added.

Presently, the state has some 24,000 hectares of land available for brackish water aqua culture out of which only 7000 hectares of government land are being used. Till now, farmers with the guidance and monetary support from exporters have been running these clusters.

Realizing the potential of these clusters to up the exports to a large extent, the state government has announced land lease policy to regularize these clusters and develop them to most advanced shrimp culture units.

“There has been a very poor response to leasing out the land for these clusters. Only eight hectares have been settled at Bhadrak. But we are hopeful of good response in the coming months with greaster publicity by us on leasing of land for aqua culture”, the secretary remarked.

As per the Draft Odisha Fisheries Policy 2014, large cluster-based pisciculture projects including those in waterlogged areas
will be given preference. Entrepreneurship in commercial aquaculture will be encouraged with the Government making all efforts to provide necessary infrastructure like roads, power and water supply, drainage and other amenities. While demonstration projects will be taken up to popularise fish culture technologies, aqua-clinics, aqua-shops and aqua business centres will also be set up to support promotion of aquaculture and employment generation.

Freshwater resources are estimated to be around 6.72 lakh ha comprising 1.24 lakh ha of tanks and ponds, two lakh ha of reservoirs, 1.80 lakh ha of lakes, swamps and Jheels and 1.71 lakh ha of rivers and canals. Simnilarly, the state has some 4.18 lakh hectare brackishwater resources besides 480 lm coast line.

“We have no problem for the fresh water fishery development. However, there are ce
rtain issues like productivity, monoculture and local conflicts, which we need to address”, Sethi stated.

Total fish production in Odisha in 2014-15 was 4.7 lakh metric ton [MT] registering a growth of 13 per cent over the previous fiscal. Fish production from inland fisheries and brackish water resources has increased to three lakh MT, but the production was only 32,891 MT and the fish catch from the sea water was pegged at 1.33 lakh MT in the last fiscal.

The state government also plans to bring all the open water bodies, minor irrigation projects, irrigation tanks, percolation tanks and reservoirs under culture-based capture fisheries.

“Preference shall be given for long-term lease of the water bodies so as to ensure free flow of credit for making them sustainable and building confidence among the fishing community”, Sethi informed.