Bengal Fish Fest kicks off today
Kolkata: The state Fisheries department will organise the three-day 'Bengal Fish Fest 2019' at Nalban Food Park in Salt Lake Sector V from Friday to Sunday (January 11 to 13), with the aim of propagating the activities of the state government in this area and at the same time, address the current issues pertaining to aquaculture, fish feed and exports in the fishery and seafood sector.
The festival will host stalls and exhibitions put up by stakeholders from the fisheries sector for promotion of modern technologies, different varieties of fish feed, ornamental fish etc. A large number of food stalls will also be set up by reputed food chains/brands to titillate the tastebuds of fish loving Bengalis with exotic fish delicacies. Indian Chamber of Commerce is the event partner.
State Fisheries minister Chandranath Sinha said: "We have been able to increase the production of big fishes in the state by 40 percent. We have instructed state Fisheries Development Corporation to take necessary steps to increase fish cultivation in ponds throughout the state."
It may be mentioned that with its vast resource of more than 4.27 lakh hectares of impounded water bodies (including 3.35 lakh hectares of inland and 0.92 lakh hectares of brackish water area), Bengal has a tremendous potential in the fisheries sector, which is almost unrivalled in India. Bengal ranks second in fish and first in fish seed production in the country.
"This sector has tremendous export potential and during the last 7 years, export figures have grown significantly from 61,709 metric tonnes (Rs 1,734 crore) in 2011-12 to 1,05,318 metric tonnes (Rs 4,910 crore) in 2017-18," a senior official of the state Fisheries department said.
A special Investors' Meet will also be organised during the festival to explore the scope of export promotion and investment potential, as well as the possibility of promoting the fish market within and outside Bengal.
