VPP 322: Aquatic Animal Diseases, Health Care and Management (1+1)

CONTRIBUTION OF FISHERIES TO NATIONAL ECONOMY

• Fish and fisheries contribute a lot to the national economy. Export of fish and fishery products makes a considerable contribution to the national economy in terms of foreign exchange earnings. Capture fisheries and aquaculture are important sectors of food production, providing nutritional security to the food basket, contributing to the agricultural exports and engaging about fourteen million people in different activities. With high growth rates, the different facets of marine fisheries like coastal aquaculture, inland fisheries, freshwater aquaculture, coldwater fisheries contributes to food, health, economy, exports, employment and tourism of the country.
• In 2010-11, India's total annual fish production was 8.03 million tons (Inland - 5.07 million tons and Marine - 2.96 million tons). Besides making a considerable contribution to the national economies in terms of earnings from export products from capture fisheries and aquaculture, fisheries also helps in terms of poverty alleviation and provides nutritional benefits. While diverse resources ranging from deep seas to lakes in the mountains and more than 10% of the global biodiversity in terms of fish and shell fish species, the country has shown continous and sustained increments in fish production.
• India’s marine product exports have crossed $2 billion during financial year 2009-10. In 2010-11, the exports aggregated 7,52,791 tonnes valued at Rs. 12100 crore. Frozen shrimp is the major export item accounting for more than 41% of the total dollar earnings. Fish is the principal export item in terms of volume and the second largest in value terms, accounted for 38.37% in quantity and 20.09% in dollar earnings. Export of live lobster, live crab and baigai (little water snail) also contributes to foreign exchange earnings.