By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, May 11, 2016 : Odisha has earned Rs 4,794.72 crore in foreign currency from sea food exports in the last three years, fisheries and animal resources development minister Pradeep Maharathy told the State Assembly on Wednesday.

In his reply to a written question of BJD legislator Raseswari Panigrahi, Maharathy told the assembly that a total of 76,941 tons of shrimp and 12,497 tons of other marine products were exported in the last three years.

In 2012-13, sea food export was pegged at Rs 908.47 crore. This went up to Rs.1,817.07 crore in 2013-14 and Rs.2,069.17 in 2014-15, the minister informed the House.

Odisha government has set a stiff target to step up seafood exports to Rs.10000 crore by 2020. It has been urging the farmers to adopt best management practices to enhance shrimp cultivation.

Odisha produced 4.67 lakh tons of fish in 2014-15, up by 13 per cent over the previous year.