Seven major field studies are being carried out by National Productivity Council Under the Flagship Scheme PMMSY
The autonomous organisation, National Productivity Council (NPC), is conducting seven important field studies to give new impetus to deliverables under the flagship Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying, Parshottam Rupala, stated at an event held at NPC headquarters in New Delhi to launch these interventions under PMMSY, "PMMSY has proven to be transformative in boosting the contribution of the fisheries sector to the country's GDP." The Government of India, in collaboration with stakeholders, is bringing about a new blue revolution through innovative and proactive approaches. NPC's new field studies will assist the Department in further strengthening its delivery systems."
The Union Minister stated that major field studies would be conducted in seven areas, including, best practices in the Andhra Pradesh fish marketing system and dissemination through workshops; agro-climatic zone-specific mapping of innovative fishing practices for enhancing production and productivity in the Upper Gangetic Plain Region; design improvement in storage containers used in the supply chain for inland and marine fishes by vendors; improvement in fish mending; evaluating RAS and Biofloc technologies and disseminating them through workshops; Strengthening the monitoring framework for PMMSY implementation; and assessing post-harvest losses in inland and marine fisheries and recommending strategies to reduce these losses. The NPC would finish the field investigations in around nine months.
Rupala further added that “while aiming at enhancing production and productivity, the PMMSY offers a wide range of activities for the benefit of fishers, fish farmers, youth, women, entrepreneurs etc. The Scheme has facilitated cluster development, economies of scale, enhancing competitiveness of the fisheries sector, generation of higher incomes to the stakeholders, etc. While accelerating growth and expansion of the sector in an organized manner, the PMMSY has created a conducive environment for the development of entrepreneurship and encourages private sector participation”.
The Department of Fisheries (DoF), Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying (FAHD), is implementing PMMSY. It is a scheme with an anticipated investment of Rs. 20,050 crore to bring about the Blue Revolution through sustainable and responsible development of the country's fisheries sector. Since fiscal year 2020-21, PMMSY has been implemented in all states and union territories. It is intended to fill important gaps in the value chain of fisheries, ranging from fish production, productivity, and quality to technology, post-harvest infrastructure, and marketing.
Sundeep Nayak, NPC Director General, stated at the event that India was the second largest aqua-resources producing country and ranked among the top fish exporting countries. Fish and fish products account for around 17% of agricultural exports. More than 2.8 crore fishermen and fish farmers are employed in the fisheries sector at the primary level, with many more employed further up the value chain. PMMSY provides a variety of programmes for the benefit of fishermen, fish farmers, youth, women, entrepreneurs, and others. The strategy has allowed cluster development, economies of scale, increased fisheries sector competitiveness, and generated higher income for stakeholders.
PMMSY has created a favourable environment for the development of entrepreneurship and encourages private sector engagement while accelerating and expanding the sector in an organised manner.
The National Productivity Council (NPC), established in 1958, is an autonomous organisation within the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. Under PMMSY, NPC has been tasked with conducting large field studies in order to increase the scheme's value to stakeholders.
In the presence of Jatindra Nath Swain, Secretary, Department of Fisheries, Sundeep Kumar Nayak, Director General NPC, and Abhilaksh Likhi, OSD, Department of Fisheries, and others, Parshottam Rupala, Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying, launched the major field studies entrusted to NPC at NPC Headquarters in New Delhi.