Draft docu on revival of pisciculture submitted

KOLKATA: The high-power committee constituted by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has submitted a draft document on the revival of pisciculture in Bengal which is presently under consideration by the top brass of the state government.

“The document underscores short-term, middle-term and long-term plans. We have not asked for any subsidy but mainly policy interventions that contribute to the expansion of aquaculture in Bengal have been stated,” Rajarshi Banerji, president, Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI), Bengal region said on the sidelines of the announcement for the 23rd India International Seafood Show (IISS)which kicks off at Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan from February 15.

Banerji, a member of the high-power committee stating some of the demands of the draft document said that the state has been asked to deal with aquaculture at par with agriculture as both are dependent on season change and weather fluctuations.

“We have also urged the state government to bring a legislature of banning a cooperative that fails to deliver results. During the erstwhile Left Front government, the cooperatives had taken up water bodies but had not delivered in fish cultivation,” he added.

Bengal’s fishery sector has enormous potential because out of 3 to 4 lakh hectare of brackish water area, only 80,000 hectare have been utilised. Hence, there is an urgent need to exploit this, said Banerji.

The three-day IISS (February 15-17) is being organised by the Marine Product Export Development Authority (MPEDA) in association with SEAI and is aimed at offering a robust platform to various industry stakeholders for linking business deals, forging new contacts, leveraging market linkages and introducing new technologies and products to the global market.

“The conclave will deliberate upon measures to boost seafood production in the post-pandemic phase and chalk out an actionable road map for hassle-free exports of quality shrimps and other marine products from India,” Dodda Venkata Swamy, MPEDA chairman said.

An international buyer-seller meeting with particular emphasis on G-20 countries will be organised with IISS. The event will have 350 stalls showcasing a wide range of products based on automated and IT-aided technology and energy-efficient systems for value addition.