Working Paper 2020-II

GROWTH AND TRADE PERFORMANCE OF INDIAN

FISHERIES: TRENDS AND CONSTRAINTS

Dr. Vinod Kumar, DGM

राष्ट्रीय कृषि और ग्रामीण षिकास बैंक

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
आषथिक षिश्लेिण और अनुसंधान षिभाग, प्रधान कायाि लय, मुंबई
Department of Economic Analysis and Research
Head Office, Mumbai

December 2020
The views expressed in this paper are authors’ only. This is work in progress and any
use of material may be done keeping this in mind.

Suggestions/comments may be sent to the e-mail : [email protected]

2020 Vinod Kumar 1

Growth and Trade Performance of Indian Fisheries:

Trends and Constraints

Dr. Vinod Kumar*

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mumbai

ABSTRACT
Marine and Inland Fisheries, together with aquaculture, remains an important source of
food, nutrition, employment and income in India. The sector provides livelihood to
about 16 million fishers and fish farmers at the primary level and almost twice the
number along the value chain. India is the second largest fish producing and second
largest aquaculture nation in the world after China. The total fish production during
2018-19 is estimated to be 13.76 million metric tonnes (MMT) with a contribution of
9.58 MMT (69.65%) from inland fisheries and 4.18 MMT (30.35%) from marine
fisheries. The total fisheries potential of India has been estimated at 22.31 MMT in
2018. Of this, the marine fisheries potential stands at an estimated 5.31 MMT and the
inland fisheries potential has been estimated at 17 MMT. During 2018-19, 71 per cent of
marine fisheries potential and 58 per cent of the inland fisheries potential have been
harnessed. The fish production in the country has increased from 3.84 MMT in 1990-91
to 13.76 MMT during 2018-19, registering an annual growth rate of 4.05 per cent. The
growth in fish production has shown a cyclic pattern with an increasing long-term trend.
Fish and fish products during 2019-20 emerged as the largest group in agricultural
exports from India, with 1328991 MT in terms of quantity and Rs.47618 crore in value
terms. This accounts for around 2.06 per cent of the total exports and 17.34 per cent of
the agricultural exports, and contributes 7.28 per cent to the Agriculture Gross Value
Added (GVA) and 1.24 per cent to the National GVA at current prices of the country
during 2018-19. The ratio of fisheries (marine) export to fisheries GVA was 22.37 per
cent at current prices during 2018-19. USA and South East Asia are the major export
markets for Indian seafood with a share of 34.81 per cent and 22.67 per cent,

*DGM, DEAR. Corresponding Author: Vinod Kumar

Email: [email protected]
Views expressed are those of authors alone. Usual disclaimers apply.
2 Trade Performance of Indian Fisheries 2020

respectively in value terms during 2018-19. Frozen shrimp remained the major export
item (68%) followed by frozen fish (11%). Total fish production in the world is
estimated to have reached 178.5 MMT in 2018, which include 115.2 MMT marine
fisheries (64.54%) and 63.3 MMT inland fisheries (35.46%). Over 90 per cent of the
quantity of trade in fish and fish products consisted of processed products (excluding
live & fresh whole fish) in 2018, with frozen products representing the highest share.
About 78 per cent of the quantity exported consisted of products destined for human
consumption. In 2018, 67 MMT of fish were traded internationally, equating to almost
38 per cent of all fish caught or farmed worldwide. The total export value of USD 164
billion recorded in 2018 represented almost 11 per cent of the export value of
agricultural products. At present India is contributing about 7.73 per cent of the global
fish production and 4 per cent of the global fish trade. Major fish producing States
should work out Action Plans for expansion of Shrimp/prawn farming in inland
saline/alkaline and freshwater areas under scientific guidance for enhancing the share
of seafood exports in global trade. Culture of identified exotic species with high
production and profit potential should be introduced with adequate bio-security
protocols adopting Best Management Practices/Good Aquaculture Practices. Efforts
should be made by States to enhance fish production and productivity through
application of technology and formation of Farmers Producer Organizations (FPOs) to
cater small pond holder’s needs. There is a need to promote market, trade and export of
globally competitive fish and value-added fish products benchmarking with global
standards. Further, post-harvest infrastructure including cold chain for reduction of
post-harvest fisheries losses (Rs.61000 crore including Rs.46000 crore inland fisheries
and Rs.15000 crore marine fisheries annually) needs to be developed and strengthened.
Requisite infrastructure such as processing plants, cold storages, ice plants, freezing and
packing plants, value addition, fish and fisheries products transportation vehicles
including refrigerated and insulated vehicles, ice flaking and ice crushing units, ice/fish
holding boxes, warehouses, etc. should be established and modernised. The outbreak of
COVID-19 is expected to have a negative impact on fisheries trade among key exporters
and importers in 2020.
2020 Vinod Kumar 3

Introduction
Fishing is one of the oldest occupations in India. The fishing sector has a place of pride
in the national economy. The significance of this sector is of two dimensional, i.e.,
employment potential and export potential. The sector provides livelihood to about 16
million fishers and fish farmers at the primary level and almost twice the number along
the value chain. Apart from the direct employment to fishermen, this sector is
responsible for generation of employment for several millions in seafood and ancillary
industries. Fisheries sector has been an important source for foreign resources over a
period of time in the country. Although fishing has been a traditional occupation in the
coastal villages of India, the recognition that the activity has gained in the economic
front is largely due to remarkable achievement on the export front. Global fish
production is estimated to have reached 178.5 million metric tonnes (MMT) in 2018
(FAO, 2020). In 2018, 67 MMT of fish were traded internationally, equating to almost
38 per cent of all fish caught or farmed worldwide. The total export value of USD 164
billion recorded in 2018 represented almost 11 per cent of the export value of
agricultural products. At present India is contributing about 7.73 per cent of the global
fish production and 4 per cent of the global fish trade. The export of marine products
increased from 0.296 MMT in 1995-96 to 1.33 MMT in 2019-20 registering an annual
growth rate of 6.82 per cent (APEDA, 2020). In terms of value, export increased to
Rs.47618 crore in 2019-20 from Rs.3501.11 crore in 1995-96 showing an annual growth
rate of 11.90 per cent. The rapid increase in the growth of marine/seafood exports has
been mainly due to boom in brackish water aquaculture. USA and South East Asia are
the major export markets for Indian seafood with a share of 34.81 per cent and 22.67
per cent, respectively. Frozen shrimp remained the major export item (68%) followed by
frozen fish (11%). India has rich and diverse fisheries resources. The marine fisheries
resources are spread along the country’s vast coastline and 2.02 million square km
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and 0.53 million square km continental shelf area. The
inland resources are in the form of rivers and canals (1.95 lakh km), floodplain lakes
(8.12 lakh hectares), ponds and tanks (24.1 lakh hectares), reservoirs (31.5 lakh
hectares), brackish water (12.4 lakh hectares), saline/ alkaline affected areas (12 lakh
hectares), etc. The unutilized and underutilized vast and varied inland resources offer
4 Trade Performance of Indian Fisheries 2020

great opportunities for livelihood development and ushering economic prosperity

(National Fisheries Policy, 2020).

The total fisheries potential of India has been estimated at 22.31 MMT in 2018, of this,
the marine fisheries potential stands at an estimated 5.31 MMT and the inland fisheries
potential has been estimated at 17 MMT. During 2018-19, 71 per cent of marine fisheries
potential and 58 per cent of the inland fisheries potential have been harnessed. The total
fish production in the country increased from 0.75 MMT in 1950-51 to 13.76 MMT in
2018-19. Of this, the marine fisheries contributed 4.18 MMT and the inland fisheries
contributed 9.58 MMT. In recent years, the fish production in India has registered an
average annual growth rate of more than 7 per cent. Considering the increase in
production and better performance of fishery sector, the present study has been taken
up with the specific objectives to estimate growth of fish production in India and to
study the growth pattern in exports and trade direction of fish and fish products export
from India.

Data and Methodology

The data used in this paper was collected from various secondary sources-MPEDA-Agri-
exchange website; Handbook on Fisheries Statistics; National Account Statistics
2020,MoSPI; Pocket Book of Agricultural Statistics; Annual Reports of Department of
Commerce; Basic Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Statistics; The State of World
Fisheries and Aquaculture, FAO (2020); National Fisheries Development Board;
NABARD Annual Reports; Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export
Development Authority (APEDA); Economic Survey, GoI; National Fisheries Policy
(2020) and other related websites, published research papers, etc. The growth rate tool
was used in the study.

Results and Discussion

Global fish production is estimated to have reached about 179 MMT in 2018. Of the
overall total, 156 MMT were used for human consumption, equivalent to an estimated
annual supply of 20.5 kg per capita. The remaining 22 million metric tonnes (MMT)
were destined for non-food uses, mainly to produce fishmeal and fish oil. Capture fish
2020 Vinod Kumar 5

accounted for 54 per cent of the global fish production. Aquaculture accounted for
46 per cent of the total production and 52 percent of fish for human consumption. China
has remained a major fish producer, accounting for 35 per cent of global fish production
in 2018 (FAO, 2020). Table 1 depicts the contribution of India to the world fish
production from 1950 to 2018. The total fish production in the world which was 19.31
MMT in 1950 increased to 178.50 MMT in 2018, recording an annual growth rate of 4.11
per cent during the period. The share of inland and marine fisheries increased from 2.24
MMT and 17.08 MMT in 1950 to 63.30 MMT and 115.20 MMT in 2018, registering an
annual growth rate of 8.24 per cent and 2.98 per cent, respectively. India's contribution
in total world fish production increased from 3.83 per cent in 1950 to 7.71 per cent in
2018. The share of inland fisheries in the total world inland fish production increased
from 9.40 per cent 1950 to 15.13 per cent during 2018. During 1950 to 2018, India's fish
production including marine and inland fish production was growing at a much faster
rate than the world. It may be concluded that inland fisheries is playing a very important
role in the fish production in the country as also in the world.

Table 1: Contribution of India to World Fish Production in Selected Years

(In MMT)
World Production Contribution of India
Year Total Marine Inland Total Marine Inland
1950 19.31 17.08 2.24 0.74 0.53 0.21
1955 27.96 24.30 3.66 0.84 0.60 0.24
1960 35.54 31.49 4.05 1.16 0.88 0.28
1965 49.67 44.55 5.13 1.33 0.82 0.51
1970 65.38 59.31 6.07 1.76 1.09 0.67
1975 65.47 58.51 6.96 2.27 1.48 0.79
1980 71.94 64.19 7.76 2.45 1.55 0.90
1985 86.28 75.48 10.80 2.84 1.73 1.11
1990 97.74 82.57 15.17 3.80 2.19 1.61
1991 97.41 82.07 15.35 4.05 2.35 1.70
1992 100.61 84.35 16.26 4.24 2.47 1.77
1993 104.39 86.57 17.83 4.48 2.49 1.99
1994 112.97 93.27 19.70 4.78 2.71 2.07
1995 116.75 94.60 22.14 4.92 2.66 2.27
1996 120.42 96.28 24.13 5.21 2.82 2.39
6 Trade Performance of Indian Fisheries 2020

1997 120.41 95.45 24.96 5.39 2.88 2.51

1998 114.14 88.28 25.87 5.28 2.68 2.60
1999 122.32 94.61 27.71 5.61 2.78 2.83
2000 125.94 96.88 29.06 5.61 2.76 2.85
2001 125.36 95.00 30.36 5.90 2.80 3.09
2002 127.83 96.17 31.67 5.93 2.96 2.96
2003 127.20 93.69 33.51 6.03 2.96 3.07
2004 134.65 98.77 35.88 6.19 2.88 3.31
2005 136.78 98.25 38.53 6.66 2.87 3.79
2006 137.51 96.43 41.08 7.03 3.04 3.99
2007 140.69 97.26 43.42 6.97 3.09 3.88
2008 143.02 96.78 46.24 7.95 3.36 4.60
2009 145.74 97.19 48.55 7.86 3.29 4.57
2010 147.99 95.87 52.13 8.48 3.28 5.19
2011 154.00 104.70 49.30 8.88 3.27 5.61
2012 156.00 102.80 53.20 9.24 3.32 5.92
2013 160.80 104.80 56.00 9.78 3.44 6.34
2014 164.90 106.70 58.20 10.46 3.57 6.89
2015 168.70 108.70 60.00 10.82 3.64 7.18
2016 166.20 106.80 59.40 11.43 3.63 7.81
2017 172.70 111.20 61.50 12.59 3.69 8.90
2018 178.50 115.20 63.30 13.76 4.18 9.58
CAGR (%) 4.11 2.98 8.24 6.52 4.09 9.04
Source: Handbook on Fisheries Statistics, 2018 and FAO (2020) Report on “The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2020

Marine Capture Production

Global total marine catches increased from 79.71 MMT in 2012 to 84.41 MMT in 2018,
but were still below the peak catches of 86.4 MMT in 1996. In 2018, the top 7 producers
were responsible for over 50 percent of the total marine captures, of which China
accounted for 15 percent of the world total (Table 2), followed by Peru (8%), Indonesia
(8%), the Russian Federation (6 %), the USA (6%), India (4%), and Vietnam (4%). While
China remains the world’s top producer of marine captures, its catches declined from an
average 13.8 MMT per year between 2015 and 2017 to 12.7 MMT in 2018. A
continuation of a catch reduction policy beyond its Thirteenth Five-Year Plan (2016-
2020) is expected to result in further decreases in coming years.
2020 Vinod Kumar 7

Table 2: Major Countries for Marine Capture Fisheries during 2012 to 2018
(In MMT)
Sr .No. Country 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
1 China 13.87 13.97 14.81 15.31 15.25 13.19 12.68
2 Indonesia 5.42 5.62 6.02 6.22 6.11 6.31 6.71
3 USA 5.11 5.12 4.95 5.02 4.90 5.02 4.72
4 Russian 4.07 4.09 4.00 4.17 4.47 4.59 4.84
Federation
5 Peru 4.81 5.83 3.55 4.79 3.77 0.83 0.96
6 India 3.40 3.42 3.42 3.50 3.60 3.94 3.62
7 Japan 3.61 3.62 3.63 3.42 3.17 3.18 3.1
8 Vietnam 2.42 2.61 2.71 2.61 2.68 3.15 3.19
9 Norway 2.15 2.08 2.30 2.29 2.03 2.38 2.49
10 Phillippines 2.13 2.13 2.14 1.95 1.87 1.72 1.89
11 Malaysia 1.47 1.48 1.46 1.49 1.57 1.47 1.45
12 Chile 2.57 1.77 2.18 1.79 1.50 1.92 2.12
13 Morocco 1.16 1.24 1.35 1.35 1.43 1.36 1.36
14 Korea 1.66 1.59 1.72 1.64 1.38 1.35 1.33
15 Thailand 1.61 1.61 1.56 1.32 1.34 1.31 1.51
16 Mexico 1.47 1.50 1.40 1.32 1.31 1.46 1.47
17 Myanmar 2.33 2.48 2.70 1.11 1.19 1.27 1.14
18 Iceland 1.45 1.37 1.08 1.32 1.07 1.18 1.26
19 Spain - 0.98 1.10 0.97 0.91 0.94 0.92
20 Canada - 0.82 0.84 0.82 0.83 0.81 0.78
21 Taiwan - 0.93 1.07 0.99 0.75 0.75 0.81
22 Argentina - 0.86 0.82 0.80 0.74 0.81 0.82
23 Ecuador - 0.51 0.66 0.64 0.72 0.69 0.72
24 UK - 0.63 0.75 0.65 0.70 - -
25 Denmark - 0.67 0.75 0.87 0.67 - -
26 Iran - - - - - 0.78 0.95
27 Mauritania - - - - - 0.9 0.79
28 Total of the 60.71 66.92 66.95 66.34 63.94 64.6 67.83
above
country
29 Total Other 19.00 14.04 14.60 14.91 15.34 16.61 16.58
Countries

30 World Total 79.71 80.96 81.55 81.25 79.28 81.21 84.41

Source: Handbook on Fisheries Statistics, 2018 and FAO (2020) Report on “The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2020
8 Trade Performance of Indian Fisheries 2020

Role of Fisheries Sector in Agriculture

The role of fisheries sector in agricultural economy of almost all the states has been
increasing as is evident from its enhancing share of value of fishing in total value of
output from agriculture and allied sectors (Table 3). As expected, the share has
increased more prominently in the coastal states/union territories like West Bengal,
Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Kerala, Odisha, Gujarat, A&N Islands, Daman & Diu,
Lakshadweep and Puducherry, etc. The share of value of output of fishing from
agriculture and allied sectors was highest for Goa (40.73%) followed by Andhra Pradesh
(21.13%), Tripura (15.18%) and Kerala (14.63%). The value of output from fishing is
continuously increasing at the CAGR of 17.91 per cent during 2011-12 to 2016-17. The
highest annual growth (CAGR) among the major fishing states was estimated in case of
Tripura (31.89%) followed by Andhra Pradesh (29.47%), Jharkhand (22.14%), Odisha
(20.78%), Kerala (19.35%), Gujarat (17.94%), Tamil Nadu (15.97%) and West Bengal
(12.38%) during the same period.
 2020 Vinod Kumar 9

Table 3: State-wise Value of Output from Fishing (at Current Prices)

(Rs. Lakh)
State/ UT 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 CAGR Share of
(%) value of
fishing in
total value
of output
from
agriculture
and allied
sectors (%)
Andhra Pradesh 1420837 1687753 2210663 2701529 3826513 5093591 29.47 21.13
Arunachal Pradesh 4972 5951 6084 9006 11376 12720 22.25 1.44
Assam 441662 521294 561653 595903 633275 720764 9.24 12.37
Bihar 356526 434402 568220 717901 747025 790346 18.16 6.26
Chhattisgarh 258054 309524 355708 423651 469740 529632 15.43 7.53
Goa 82284 100622 172873 149819 177433 178578 16.79 40.73
Gujarat 421358 476027 566823 766727 825421 905156 17.94 4.28
Haryana 95400 111480 133220 138491 153566 180665 12.73 1.54
Himachal Pradesh 5684 6545 9065 10955 12354 13636 20.31 0.55
Jammu & Kashmir 35555 37992 37788 39627 43298 43942 4.37 1.50
Jharkhand 61882 86940 109668 119734 140934 184511 22.14 3.53
Karnataka 322949 372279 453166 582863 504198 480483 9.41 3.32
Kerala 474996 649519 780221 876468 1041055 1206425 19.35 14.63
Madhya Pradesh 71341 84852 104837 133288 152958 197889 22.52 0.74
Maharashtra 359918 434894 478254 590858 588681 778001 15.27 2.69
Manipur 21001 29051 37167 39070 43863 46703 16.29 7.50
Meghalaya 4512 7591 9385 10532 19780 24465 38.66 4.68
Mizoram 5334 6316 6794 7746 8587 9973 12.69 1.60
Nagaland 6968 7665 8452 9302 10167 11351 10.15 1.52
Odisha 311867 392076 421837 526897 654680 822078 20.78 9.42
Punjab 64408 74284 101347 118316 130415 151589 19.12 1.16
Rajasthan 36387 41112 46674 63782 58570 77380 15.84 0.29
Sikkim 315 496 575 649 666 710 15.58 0.31
Tamil Nadu 565798 599283 607465 880490 937339 1133443 15.97 6.79
Telangana 164363 195237 277227 296403 294906 252060 10.33 2.50
Tripura 53818 70322 137835 164244 189709 198860 31.89 15.18
Uttar Pradesh 304562 339000 376232 418426 420253 525870 10.46 1.31
Uttarakhand 3915 4193 4941 5271 5629 5975 9.14 0.28
West Bengal 1972924 2253300 2842674 3102001 3337809 3466206 12.38 15.40
A & N Islands 20971 21863 23148 24852 24890 26912 5.00 25.65
Chandigarh 258 61 191 213 244 241 11.87 1.15
Dadra&NagarHaveli 110 112 135 131 0 0 0.00 0.00
Daman & Diu 18597 27183 30076 49256 46556 32880 15.21 82.96
Delhi 908 924 1041 1076 1132 1250 6.61 0.41
Lakshadweep 14555 13371 20644 14982 17817 23384 8.67 84.43
Puducherry 25463 26194 28775 32413 38161 38609 9.98 26.40
All India 8010453 9429708 11530858 13622873 15569000 18166278 17.91 5.73
Source: National Accounts Statistics, 2019, State-wise and Item-wise Value of Output from Agriculture,
Forestry and Fishing (2011-12 to 2016 -17), MOSPI, CSO, GoI, New Delhi
10 Trade Performance of Indian Fisheries 2020

Trends in Fish Production in India

The total fish production in the country during 2018-19 is estimated to be 13.76
MMT with a contribution of 9.58 MMT (69.65%) from inland fisheries and 4.18
MMT (30.35%) from marine fisheries. Almost 50 per cent of inland fish production
is from culture fisheries, which constitutes 6.5 per cent of global fish production.
India is the second largest fish producer in the world with a total production of
13.76 MMT in 2018-19 as compared to 12.59 MMT during 2017-18, recording a
growth rate of 9.28 per cent. Fish production increased from 3.84 MMT in 1990-91
to 13.76 MMT in 2018-19 with compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.05 per
cent (Table 4). Further, inland fish production was growing much faster growth
(6.19%) than marine fish production (1.48%). Figure 1 shows that from 1990-91 to
1999-2000, the share of Inland fish production was lower than marine fish
production and thereafter, its share has increased significantly. Faster growth in
inland fisheries was mainly due to promotional and developmental initiatives like
infrastructure development, promotion and subsidy support programmes
introduced for fish farming, price realization and extension services, etc. Fish
farming in India still has ample scope for improving production and productivity.

Foreseeing the vast resource potential and possibilities of export in the fisheries
sector, a separate Department of Fisheries was created under the aegis of the
Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. Various programmes and
schemes have been introduced by Government of India, such as, the restructured
umbrella scheme of ‘Blue Revolution: Integrated Development and
Management of Fisheries’ focusing on increasing fish production and
productivity from aquaculture and fisheries resources, both inland and marine
sector through full potential ultilisation of water resources for fisheries
development in a sustainable manner, while keeping in view the bio security and
environment concerns, with aims at reaching an annual production of 200 lakh
metric tonnes by 2022-23 (Union Budget, 2020-21). Focus should be given for
growing of algae, see-weed and cage culture; the Pradhan Mantri Matsya
Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) with an investment of Rs.20050 crore aims to
2020 Vinod Kumar 11

enhance fish production to 220 lakh metric tonnes by 2024-25 from 137.58 lakh
metric tonnes in 2018-19 at an average annual growth rate of about 9 per cent. The
scheme will result in doubling fisheries export earnings to Rs.100000 crore and
generate about 55 lakh direct and indirect employment opportunities in fisheries
sector over a period of next five years (2024-25). The main thrust will be given
towards enhancement of fish production and productivity, quality, sustainability,
technology infusion, post-harvest infrastructure, modernisation and strengthening
of value chain, standards and traceability in fisheries sector from ‘catch to
consumer’, establishing a robust fisheries management framework, fishers’ welfare,
enhancement of fisheries export competitiveness. PMMSY will create a conducive
environment for private sector participation, development of entrepreneurship,
business models, promotion of ease of doing business, innovations and innovative
project activities including start-ups, incubators, etc. in fisheries sector; Fisheries
and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund for funding
infrastructure projects in fisheries sector with a corpus of Rs.7522.48 crore
spreading over a period of five years was created. National Bank for Agriculture
and Rural Development (NABARD), National Cooperatives Development
Corporation (NCDC) and all Scheduled Banks will serve as Nodal Loaning Entities;
Under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund, GoI has permitted
NABARD to extend RIDF loans for fisheries related infrastructure such as fishing
harbours/jetties and riverine fisheries; Scheme for Agro Marine Processing
and Development of Agro Processing Clusters (SAMPADA) with an outlay
of Rs.6000 crore for the period of 2016-2020 with aimed at creation of modern
infrastructure from farm gate to retail outlet. KCC facility was extended to fish
farmers to meet the working capital requirement of fisheries activities including
aquaculture. Fish farmers (individual & groups/partners/share croppers/tenant
farmers), self-help groups, joint liability groups are eligible for availing the KCC
facilities. The interest subvention on KCC for fisheries farmers upto Rs.2.00 lakh @
2 per cent per annum at the time of disbursal of loans and additional interest
subvention @ 3 per cent per annum in case of Prompt Repayment Incentive; and
National Fisheries Policy, 2020 aims at comprehensive development of the
fisheries sector through appropriate interventions to address the critical gaps with
12 Trade Performance of Indian Fisheries 2020

an overarching goal for growths in exports, increase in farmer’s income and better
choice for consumers.
Table 4: Fish Production in India
(In'000 Tonnes)
Fish Production
Year
Marine Inland Total
1990-1991 2300 1536 3836
1991-1992 2447 1710 4157
1992-1993 2576 1789 4365
1993-1994 2649 1995 4644
1994-1995 2692 2097 4789
1995-1996 2707 2242 4949
1996-1997 2967 2381 5348
1997-1998 2950 2438 5388
1998-1999 2696 2602 5298
1999-2000 2852 2823 5675
2000-2001 2811 2845 5656
2001-2002 2830 3126 5956
2002-2003 2990 3210 6200
2003-2004 2941 3458 6399
2004-2005 2779 3526 6305
2005-2006 2816 3756 6572
2006-2007 3024 3845 6869
2007-2008 2920 4207 7127
2008-2009 2978 4638 7616
2009-2010 3104 4894 7998
2010-2011 3250 4981 8231
2011-2012 3372 5294 8666
2012-2013 3321 5719 9040
2013-2014 3443 6136 9579
2014-2015 3569 6691 10260
2015-2016 3600 7162 10762
2016-2017 3625 7806 11431
2017-2018 3688 8902 12590
2018-2019 4176 9582 13758
CAGR (%) 1.48 6.19 4.05
Source: Handbook on Fisheries Statistics, 2018 and MPEDA website
2020 Vinod Kumar 13

State-wise Fish Production

State-wise fish production from 2009-10 to 2018-19 is presented in Table 5. The

table shows that Andhra Pradesh accounts for about 31 per cent of the total fish
production in the country during 2018-19 followed by West Bengal (12.87%),
Gujarat (6.12%), Odisha (5.52%), Kerala (5.19%) and Tamil Nadu (4.91%). These
six states, together, account for 65.62 per cent of the total fish production in 2018-
19. The fish production in Andhra Pradesh increased more than three times from
2009-10 to 2018-19. Further, Andhra Pradesh is the highest Inland fish producing
state (35.40%) followed by West Bengal (16.57%), Bihar (6.28%), Odisha (5.29%)
and Chhattisgarh (5.10%). These five states, together, account for 68.64 per cent of
the total Inland fish production. In case of Marine fish production, highest share
was 20.95 per cent for Andhra Pradesh followed by Gujarat (16.74%), Kerala
(13.15%), Tamil Nadu (12.28%) and Maharashtra (11.18%) during 2018-19. These
five states, together, account for 74.30 per cent of the total marine production in
the country. Among the major fish producing states Andhra Pradesh has registered
the highest annual growth rate of 13.37 per cent followed by Jharkhand (12.49%),
Madhya Pradesh (12.39%), Chhattisgarh (10.96%), Bihar (8.74%) and Odisha
(8.62%).
 14 Trade Performance of Indian Fisheries 2020

Table 5: State-wise Fish Production in India

(In '000 Tonnes)
States/UTs 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 CAGR Share
(%)
Andhra Pradesh 1293.86 1368.20 1603.17 1808.08 2018.42 1978.58 2352.26 2766.19 3449.56 4267.01 31.01
13.37
West Bengal 1505.00 1443.26 1472.05 1490.01 1580.65 1617.32 1671.42 1701.82 1742.09 1770.31 12.87
2.37
Odisha 370.54 386.19 381.83 410.14 413.79 469.55 521.28 608.1 684.96 759.43 5.52
8.62
Tamil Nadu 534.17 614.81 611.48 620.40 624.30 697.61 709.16 669.31 682.04 675.37 2.33 4.91
Gujarat 771.50 774.90 783.72 788.49 793.42 809.93 809.56 815.56 834.53 842.47 6.12
0.98
Kerala 663.12 681.61 693.21 679.74 708.65 726.01 727.51 592.85 562.62 714.46 5.19
-0.74
Uttar Pradesh 392.93 417.48 429.72 449.75 464.48 494.27 504.00 617.69 628.75 661.51 4.81
6.10
Bihar 297.40 299.91 344.47 400.14 432.30 479.80 506.89 509.08 587.85 602.23 4.38
8.74
Karnataka 408.05 526.58 546.43 525.56 555.31 623.24 580.57 557.49 602.52 587.41 4.27
2.91
Maharashtra 538.35 595.25 578.79 586.37 602.68 608.07 579.69 662.91 606.01 568.38 4.13
0.77
Chhattisgarh 174.25 228.21 250.69 255.61 284.96 314.16 342.30 376.8 457.17 489.21 3.56
10.96
Telangana 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 268.36 236.75 198.92 270.04 294.12 2.14
3.20
Assam 218.82 227.24 228.62 254.27 266.70 282.70 294.20 306.6 327.26 331.43 2.41
5.13
Haryana 100.46 96.20 106.00 111.48 116.90 111.20 121.00 144.21 190 180.42 1.31
7.39
Jharkhand 70.50 71.89 91.68 96.60 104.82 106.43 116.00 145.16 190 208.29 1.51
12.49
MP 66.12 56.45 75.41 85.17 96.26 109.12 115.02 138.69 143.42 173.19 1.26
12.39
Punjab 122.86 97.04 97.62 99.13 104.02 114.77 120.09 132.72 136.64 135.05 0.98
3.36
Goa 0 93.27 89.96 77.88 114.06 117.98 111.91 117.89 124.01 119.53 0.87
4.72
A&N Islands 33.17 33.92 35.26 36.62 36.95 37.18 37.33 38.81 39.5 41.19 0.30
2.18
Arunachal 2.65 3.15 3.30 3.71 0.61 4.00 4.05 4.11 4.25 4.67 0.03
Pradesh 6.53
Chandigarh 0.24 0.24 0.09 0.05 0.11 0.12 0.13 0.13 0.14 0.16 0.00
-1.58
D & N Haveli 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.06 0.00 0 0 0 0.00
0.00
Daman & Diu 0 16.98 17.43 19.01 19.01 31.82 23.03 24.02 24.68 25.05 0.18
5.58
Delhi 0.71 0.82 0.74 0.69 0.88 0.68 0.71 0.95 0.8 0.61 0.00
-0.28
HP 7.85 7.38 8.05 8.56 9.83 10.74 11.80 12.51 12.77 13.4 0.10
7.48
J&K 19.30 19.70 19.85 19.95 19.98 20.30 20.08 20.39 20.7 21.04 0.15
0.79
Lakshadweep 12.37 12.37 12.37 12.37 18.72 13.19 15.94 29.8 20.77 21.51 0.16
8.47
Manipur 19.20 20.20 22.22 24.50 28.54 30.50 32.04 32 33 32.15 0.23
6.75
Meghalaya 4.21 4.56 4.77 5.42 5.75 6.04 11.34 12.33 11.96 13.01 0.09
15.60
Mizoram 3.04 2.90 2.93 5.43 5.94 6.39 6.83 7.63 7.64 7.23 0.05
12.97
Nagaland 6.36 6.59 6.84 7.13 7.47 7.84 8.22 8.61 8.99 9.63 0.07
4.67
Puducherry 41.95 41.95 42.40 41.07 42.08 47.40 64.04 50.25 49.92 52.18 0.38
3.38
Rajasthan 26.91 28.20 47.85 55.16 35.10 45.42 42.46 50.2 54.04 55.51 0.40
6.75
Sikkim 0.16 0.18 0.28 0.49 0.42 0.44 0.40 0.38 0.38 0.36 0.00
8.52
Tripura 42.28 49.23 53.34 57.46 61.95 65.16 69.06 72.45 76.8 76.27 0.55
6.61
Uttarakhand 3.49 3.82 3.83 3.85 3.89 3.94 4.14 4.3 4.58 5.11 0.04
3.40
India 7997.65 8230.71 8666.45 9040.34 9578.97 10260.28 10761.76 11430.84 12590 13756.89 6.14 100

Source: Handbook of Fisheries Statistics 2018 and Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, GoI
 2020 Vinod Kumar 15

Share of Fisheries Sector in Agricultural Gross Value Added

Fisheries sector contributes to the national income, exports, food and nutritional
security and employment generation. It is a principal source of livelihood for a
large section of economically underprivileged population of the country, especially
in the coastal areas. The share of agriculture and allied activities in the Gross Value
Added (GVA) is constantly declining. The agriculture sector is also diversifying
towards high value enterprises, including fisheries. The contribution of fisheries
sector to the GDP/GVA has gone up from 0.46 per cent in 1950-51 to 1.24 per cent
in 2018-19(at current prices). The share of fisheries in agricultural GDP/GVA has
impressively increased during this period from a mere 0.84 per cent in 1950-51 to
7.28 per cent in 2018-19. The fisheries sector recorded a Compound Annual
Growth Rate of 17.28 per cent during 2011-12 to 2018-19 which is much higher
than that of agriculture, forestry and fishing (10%). The Gross Value Added of
fisheries sector in the national economy during 2018-19 (at current prices) stood at
Rs.212915 crore which constituted 1.24 per cent of the total National GVA
(Rs.17139962 crore) and 7.28 per cent share of Agricultural GVA (Table 6). This is
a clear indication that fisheries sector is booming and playing significant role in
overall development of agriculture, export and doubling of farmers’ income in the
country.
Table 6: Gross Value Added by Economic Activity at Current Basic Prices
(Rs. Crore)
Items 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 CAGR
(%)
Agriculture, 1501947 1675107 1926372 2093612 2227533 2518662 2796909 2922846 10.00
Forestry & (18.53) (18.20) (18.59) (18.20) (17.71) (18.04) (18.03) (17.05)
Fishing
Crops 982151 1088814 1248776 1292874 1327992 1486044 1606057 1614938 7.53
(12.11) (11.83) (12.05) (11.24) (10.56) (10.64) (10.35) (9.42)

Livestock 327334 368823 422733 510411 582410 672611 785180 871884 15.54
(4.04) (4.01) (4.08) (4.44) (4.63) (4.82) (5.06) (5.09)

Forestry & 124436 137558 156674 173760 184411 205364 219109 223109 7.78
Logging (1.53) (1.49) (1.51) (1.51) (1.47) (1.47) (1.41) (1.30)

Fishing & 68027 79911 98190 116567 132720 154643 186561 212915 17.28
Aquaculture (0.84) (0.87) (0.95) (1.01) (1.06) (1.11) (1.20) (1.24)

Total GVA 8106946 9202692 10363153 11504279 12574499 13965200 15513122 17139962 11.17
Source: National Accounts Statistics 2020, MoSPI, GoI, Figures in parentheses are percentage
16 Trade Performance of Indian Fisheries 2020

Trade Performance
The data on different indicators of fisheries trade, presented in Table 7, reveal that
fisheries have been an important component of agricultural exports. The share of
fisheries exports in agricultural exports varied from 8 to 19 per cent and in total
exports hovered around 1 to 2.5 per cent during the period 2011-12 to 2018-19. The
share of agricultural exports in total exports was 11.90 per cent in 2018-19. The
ratio of fisheries exports to fisheries GVA has been substantial, varying between 22
and 31 per cent. It was agreeable to find that India has been a net exporter of fish
and fish products. It may be inferred from this analysis that fisheries sector has
been substantially contributing to national earnings in terms of foreign exchange.
However, the trade is constrained by trade restrictions which are being imposed by
the importing countries and also the high standards of hygiene and sanitation and
traceability required by buyers.

Table 7: Share of Fisheries Exports in the Agricultural and Total

Exports of India Along with its Share in Fisheries GDP
Year Percentage Share of Fisheries Exports in
Agricultural Total Export Fisheries GDP
Export
2011-12 9.07 1.13 24.38
2012-13 8.29 1.15 23.58
2013-14 11.66 1.61 31.19
2014-15 14.06 1.78 28.90
2015-16 14.49 1.82 23.52
2016-17 17.47 2.14 25.60
2017-18 18.94 2.44 25.54
2018-19 17.34 2.06 22.37
Source: Pocket Book of Agricultural Statistics, 2019, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, GoI and
MPEDA Website accessed on 29 July 2020

Export of Fish and Fish Products

The trend in export of marine products from 1995-96 to 2018-19 is presented in
Table 8. The quantity of marine products export from the level of 2.96 lakh tonnes
in 1995-96 has increased to 13.93 lakh tonnes in 2018-19, while the value of the
export quantity has increased from Rs.3501 crore to Rs.46589 crore during this
period. In 1996-2019, the export has increased with a CAGR of 6.82 per cent and
2020 Vinod Kumar 17

11.90 per cent in quantity and value terms, respectively. The share of marine export
in total marine production has increased from 10.94 per cent in 1995-96 to 34.42
per cent in 2018-19. CAGR and Coefficient of Variation (CV) clearly indicate that
there has been significant growth in export of marine products in terms of quantity
and value. Marine products should be one of the key focus area for increasing
export revenue from the country. The volatility of export market of any commodity
discourages investment in production of that commodity, alters the planning
horizon and destroys the sense of security, which is necessary for any concrete
measure. The instability indices indicate that a proper policy on export and
investment planning can be formulated. This share is low because post-harvest
fisheries losses was Rs.61000 crore including Rs.15000 crore marine fisheries
losses annually (Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture, 2019). This
huge loss is attributed due to faulty handling practices, inordinate delay in packing
& transportation and lack of proper cold storage facilities. There is a need to
modernize existing harbours, establish more cold facilities and ensure availability
of more refrigerated trucks/vans for transportation of fishes.
Table 8: Marine Products Exports from India

Year Marine Quantity Share of Value

Production Export Export in (Rs.Crore)
(in tonne) (in tonne) Marine
Production (%)
1995-96 2707000 296277 10.94 3501
1996-97 2967000 378199 12.75 4121
1997-98 2950000 385818 13.08 4697
1998-99 2696000 302934 11.24 4627
1999-00 2852000 343031 12.03 5117
2000-01 2811000 440473 15.67 6444
2001-02 2830000 424470 15.00 5957
2002-03 2990000 467297 15.63 6881
2003-04 2941000 412017 14.01 6092
2004-05 2779000 461329 16.60 6647
2005-06 2816000 512164 18.19 7245
2006-07 3024000 612641 20.26 8364
2007-08 2920000 541701 18.55 7621
2008-09 2978000 602835 20.24 8608
2009-10 3104000 678436 21.86 10049
2010-11 3250000 813091 25.02 12901
18 Trade Performance of Indian Fisheries 2020

2011-12 3371750 862021 25.57 16597

2012-13 3320780 928215 27.95 18856
2013-14 3443120 983756 28.57 30213
2014-15 3569480 1051243 29.45 33442
2015-16 3599690 945892 26.28 30421
2016-17 3625080 1134948 31.31 37871
2017-18 3687860 1377244 37.35 45107
2018-19 4176000 1392559 33.35 46589
CAGR 1.47 6.82 5.27 11.90
CV (%) 12.09 49.28 37.04 90.75
Source: Marine Products Export Development Authority, Cochin; APEDA and Handbook of Fisheries
Statistics 2018

Port-wise Exports
The export of the Indian marine products is routed through seaways to reach the
markets in various countries. In India there are 11 major ports and a large number
of minor ports. The major ports are Pipavav, Vizag, Koch, Jawaharlal Nehru Port,
Mangalore, Kolkatta, Tuticurin, Chennai Goa and Mumbai. The port-wise export of
marine products (quantity-wise) during 1995-96 to 2018-19 is presented in Table 9.
The table reveals that the share of Kochi port in the total marine export during
1995-96 was highest (26.56%), followed by Mumbai (10.54 %), Jawaharlal Nehru
port (8.15%), Vizag port (6.76%), Chennai port (6.18%), Kolkatta port (4.74%), Goa
port (4.70%), Tuticurin port (4.40%), etc. However, during 2018-19, the share of
Pipavav port was highest (21.10%), Vizag port (15.90%), Kochi port (12.96%),
Jawaharlal Nehru Port (11.36%), Mangalore port (10.20%), Kolkatta port (8.34%),
Tuticurin port (3.97%), Chennai port (3.97%), Goa port (2.72%) and Mumbai port
(0.19%). The table further reveals, the annual compound growth rate of quantity-
wise marine product exports in different ports. The highest CAGR was registered in
Mangalore port (38%), followed by Pipavav port (13%), Vizag port (10.96%),
Kolkatta port (10.75%) and Goa (8.17%). Mumbai port registered a negative CAGR
of 11.71 per cent.
 2020 Vinod Kumar 19

Table 9: Port-wise Export of Indian Marine Products during 1995-96 to

2018-19 (Based on Quantity)
(Quantity in tonnes)

Mangalore/ Others
Port Chennai Kochi JNP Vizag Kolkata Tuticurin Mumbai Goa Pipavav Total
ICD Ports

1995-96 18302 78682 24144 20017 14044 13028 31213 137 13938 0 82772 296277
1996-97 24237 91616 29081 18560 16282 16640 42579 1123 13603 0 124478 378199
1997-98 25667 88708 29403 23314 14469 15385 49554 572 11108 0 127638 385818
1998-99 29179 69991 42664 21567 15444 15847 26528 55 7861 0 73798 302934
1999-00 25646 91543 56428 23721 16397 17818 26583 14 9658 3371 71852 343031
2000-01 35772 88355 100348 23049 18553 17233 17467 3781 8849 52219 74847 440473
2001-02 41516 72035 91483 22154 17692 16966 5803 7423 9979 78097 61322 424470
2002-03 52877 80373 107972 25571 17386 17270 4305 9996 15395 99070 37082 467297
2003-04 46894 75761 95584 24284 17473 21568 1873 8474 10212 89628 20266 412017
2004-05 48245 98905 126475 34651 20195 31618 3464 11733 11028 129819 13365 529498
2005-06 49931 109375 140920 41108 20174 31216 3716 18427 11908 141629 24061 592465
2006-07 42272 106454 137153 36594 23238 30611 2893 26723 16152 178751 11800 612641
2007-08 42947 98520 104670 35535 27666 29697 2383 26155 19297 149734 5097 541701
2008-09 39043 98537 126853 32277 33625 29354 2319 33083 21146 163866 22732 602835
2009-10 45991 104281 129318 31863 46901 27782 2349 59000 29409 182052 19490 678436
2010-11 55961 121550 155829 38217 56060 30220 1965 104821 35728 197478 15262 813091
2011-12 46184 152445 148891 62215 59151 34532 2973 86367 40432 219801 9030 862021
2012-13 53596 162109 145723 78542 63832 32989 3164 95907 41377 233738 17238 928215
2013-14 55282 160798 142073 102146 67148 39547 5338 98230 34288 248621 30285 983756
2014-15 46671 162818 149585 115672 84994 42203 2098 115470 44684 243640 43408 1051243
2015-16 39021 145193 125751 128718 91054 40591 1877 83954 31681 204799 53253 945892
2016-17 37305 155989 149914 159973 104691 42026 1837 126405 43199 232391 81218 1134948
2017-18 48442 176090 177752 200779 98861 51684 3052 144235 50571 306181 119597 1377244
2018-19 55296 180457 158213 221374 116167 55251 2633 141980 37938 293835 129415 1392559
CAGR 3.02 4.00 7.24 10.96 10.75 5.86 -11.71 38.04 8.17 13.04 -2.23 6.73

The port-wise export of marine products in terms of value are presented in Table
10. The table reveals that Kochi port has the highest share (24.39%) in total export
value of marine products whereas Mangalore port has the lowest share (0.33%)
during 1995-96. During 2018-19, the share of Vizag port was highest (25.57%) and
lowest was from Mumbai port (0.66%) The table further reveals, the CAGR of
marine product exports in terms of value in different ports. The highest CAGR was
registered in Mangalore port (35.93%), followed by Pipavav port (22.51%), Goa
port (15.90%), Jawaharlal Nehru port (14.45%), Vizag port (14.01%) and Kolkatta
 20 Trade Performance of Indian Fisheries 2020

port (12.76%). The Overall annual growth rate was 11.87 per cent during 1995-96 to
2018-19.

Table 10: Port-wise Export of Indian Marine Products during 1995-96

to 2018-19 (Based on Value)
(Rs. In crore)
Mangalore Others
Port Chennai Kochi JNP Viraz Kolkata Tuticurin Mumbai Goa Pipavav Total
/ICD Ports

1995-96 527.65 853.76 211.88 608.88 354.6 191.54 272.48 11.54 70.36 0 398.42 3501.11
1996-97 821.91 925.71 237.17 522.19 422.64 253.76 281.11 8.5 63.36 0 585.01 4121.36
1997-98 900.7 937.96 242.18 774.96 420.69 319.35 393.97 1.96 53.93 0 651.78 4697.48
1998-99 1052.24 807.99 368.67 876.53 476.05 326.77 287.12 0.86 36.82 0 393.81 4626.86
1999-00 1050.71 1137.08 443.78 906.5 512.07 411.98 217.03 1.7 36.55 19.66 379.61 5116.67
2000-01 1766.08 1033.65 690.69 972.72 595.4 498.71 200.73 21.98 27.92 244.72 391.29 6443.89
2001-02 1570.13 930.87 699.19 771.81 523.94 446.27 85.54 55.42 34.48 357.38 482.02 5957.05
2002-03 2071.05 1022.22 916.29 886.51 557.43 436.82 67.97 64.76 50.11 527.59 280.56 6881.31
2003-04 1505.51 1077.11 837.25 763.64 543.56 565.65 47.37 64.48 31.4 477.31 178.67 6091.95
2004-05 1432.87 1135.7 965.32 1029.06 521.13 635.19 72.39 89.58 46.96 629.54 88.95 6646.69
2005-06 1382.56 1218.97 1173.04 1153.3 537.95 613.17 69.17 123.71 55.56 776.83 141.04 7245.3
2006-07 1332.58 1476.51 1279.48 1264.75 655.65 735.48 67.54 149.49 89.45 1162.05 150.55 8363.53
2007-08 1158.5 1383.74 1120.86 1018.6 689.7 654.64 116.12 162.61 111.22 1075.31 129.62 7620.92
2008-09 1078.44 1504.98 1487.28 897.93 720.36 693.76 176.56 238.44 185.16 1408.35 216.68 8607.94
2009-10 1314.1 1576.19 1564.42 943.29 892.48 686.45 462.67 400.33 219.24 1673.74 315.62 10048.53
2010-11 1979.76 1892.14 1970.65 1300.28 1313.67 880.41 273.49 688.32 275.3 2025.72 301.73 12901.47
2011-12 1847.88 2859.02 2151.66 2652.15 1730.89 1180.84 268.51 659.41 351.17 2710.34 185.36 16597.23
2012-13 2062.72 3265.64 2399.8 3344.97 1811.21 1269.03 323.77 849.01 366.95 2808.25 354.91 18856.26
2013-14 2709.97 4491.03 3531.36 6825.64 3053.46 2163.18 454.76 1114.63 445.92 3605.77 1817.54 30213.26
2014-15 2458.2 4989.86 3939.46 7578.27 3686.35 2328.27 333.72 1363.38 569.54 3588.35 2606.21 33441.61
2015-16 1918.02 4447.05 3437.53 7161 3430.99 1999.16 235.2 1048.08 490.48 3429.91 2823.41 30420.83
2016-17 1693.87 4860.98 4084.96 9294.31 4455.19 2220.52 226.4 1584.08 641.41 4217.45 4591.73 37870.9
11442.3
2017-18
2052.46 5805.11 4699.1 9 4875.58 2654.96 206.87 1793.41 711.91 4876.2 5988.9 45106.89
2018-19 2040.32 5861.55 4811.12 11913.07 5227.73 2768.77 309.49 1886.43 619.67 4844.03 6307.19 46589.37
CAGR 4.15 9.73 14.45 14.01 12.76 11.37 2.27 35.93 15.90 22.51 10.80 11.87

Market-wise Exports
There are six main markets identified for the export of India's marine products in
the world. They are Japan, USA, European Union, China, South East Asia, Middle
East and export to remaining countries were pooled under the Other countries.
 2020 Vinod Kumar 21

These major markets, together, account for 91 per cent of the total fish and fish
products exported in 2018-19. The data relating to quantity-wise export of marine
products to the markets are shown in Table 11 and Figures 2 and 3. The major
share of export was to the China market during 1995-96 to 2006-07. Afterwards
the European Union during 2007-08 to 2009-10 and then South East Asian
emerged as a major market in term of quantity export. The share of China market
in total export was 48.35 per cent in 1997-98 which declined to 3.61 per cent in
2017-18 and increased 16.19 per cent during 2018-19. The share of South East
Asian market on the other hand increased from 7.98 per cent in 1997-98 to 44.78
per cent in 2017-18 and thereafter declined to 32.10 per cent in 2018-19. The
quantity export of marine products to all the markets has shown a positive trend
and increased from 2.96 million metric tonnes (MMT) in 1995-96 to 13.93 MMT in
2018-19, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.79 per cent.
During 2018-19, share of marine products export was highest in the South East
Asian Countries (32%) followed by USA (20%), China (16%) and European Union
(12%). Highest compound annual growth in export was observed in case of South
East Asia (15.10%), followed by USA (8.78%), Middle East (8.72%), and European
Union (6.04%).

Table11: Market-wise Percentage Share of Export of Indian Marine

Products (Based on Quantity)
(In Percentage)
Market Japan USA European China South Middle Others Total
Union East East
Asia
1995-96 17.48 8.78 29.03 23.42 14.16 2.97 4.16 100(296277)
1996-97 17.10 7.88 18.57 37.66 12.26 2.44 4.09 100(378199)
1997-98 18.39 8.53 8.84 48.35 7.98 4.49 3.43 100(385818)
1998-99 22.21 11.38 17.85 28.79 8.89 5.55 5.34 100(302934)
1999-00 19.53 10.68 19.43 31.23 11.17 3.63 4.33 100(343031)
2000-01 15.66 9.48 15.63 41.49 9.25 3.91 4.58 100(440473)
2001-02 15.29 11.55 19.53 31.75 12.35 4.51 5.01 100(424470)
2002-03 11.75 13.20 20.23 36.55 9.44 4.21 4.61 100(467297)
2003-04 12.14 12.90 23.37 30.03 12.30 3.57 5.69 100(412017)
2004-05 12.54 10.85 25.52 27.06 13.84 3.60 6.59 100(461329)
2005-06 11.67 10.90 26.72 26.76 11.74 4.35 7.86 100(512164)
 22 Trade Performance of Indian Fisheries 2020

2006-07 11.01 7.14 24.45 33.22 11.04 3.85 9.29 100(612641)

2007-08 12.44 6.76 27.58 25.81 11.78 4.75 10.89 100(541701)
2008-09 9.50 6.12 25.74 24.44 14.76 4.51 14.94 100(602835)
2009-10 9.24 4.93 24.29 21.27 22.01 5.15 13.11 100(678436)
2010-11 8.70 6.16 21.03 19.57 28.77 5.41 10.36 100(813091)
2011-12 9.95 7.93 17.89 9.80 39.90 4.43 10.09 100(862021)
2012-13 8.26 9.96 17.06 9.46 36.73 4.46 14.07 100(928215)
2013-14 7.27 11.27 17.76 7.70 38.63 5.90 11.47 100(983756)
2014-15 7.49 12.33 17.89 5.66 38.99 6.15 11.48 100(1051243)
2015-16 7.97 16.25 19.70 5.29 34.77 5.70 10.32 100(945892)
2016-17 6.08 16.62 16.73 4.00 42.72 4.67 9.18 100(1134948)
2017-18 6.22 17.99 13.82 3.61 44.78 4.52 9.07 100(1377244)
2018-19 6.04 20.24 11.89 16.19 32.10 4.33 9.21 100(1392559)
CAGR 1.31 8.78 6.04 -2.59 15.10 8.72 12.49 6.79
Figures in the parentheses indicate the total quantity of marine products export in tonnes
Source: Marine Products Export Development Authority, Cochin
2020 Vinod Kumar 23

Table 12 reveals percentage value-wise data relating to export markets for marine
products. It may be observed from the table that Japan was the major market for
Indian marine products from 1995-96 to 2001-02 after which, its share has
declined significantly from 40.73 per cent in 1995-96 to only 6.27 per cent in 2018-
19. The USA and South East Asia improved their share significantly during the
period. While share of USA increased from 10.46 per cent in 1995-96 to 34.81 per
cent in 2018-19, South East Asia also increased its share from 7.56 per cent in
1995-96 to 31.59 per cent in 2017-18 which declined significantly during 2018-19
(22.67%), registering a CAGR of 15.72 per cent and 20.56 per cent, respectively.
The export of marine products increased from Rs.3501 crore in 1995-96 to
Rs.46589 crore in 2018-19, which is growing at the CAGR 11.87 per cent. The item-
wise export of marine products during 2018-19 based on values is shown in Figures
4 and 5.

Table 12: Major Markets for Indian Marine Products (Based on Value)
(In Percentage)
Japan USA European China South East Middle Others Total
Market
Union Asia East
1995-96 40.73 10.46 25.71 6.63 7.56 2.22 2.39 100(3501)
1996-97 100(4121)
45.77 10.58 18.95 13.19 7.49 1.47 2.56
1997-98 100(4697)
49.52 12.43 8.64 17.39 6.57 3.03 2.42
1998-99 100(4627)
49.61 13.34 14.75 10.44 5.79 3.09 2.98
24 Trade Performance of Indian Fisheries 2020

1999-00 100(5117)
44.42 15.15 17.82 10.64 7.04 2.14 2.78
2000-01 100(6444)
39.73 18.07 15.91 12.84 7.18 2.92 3.34
2001-02 100(5957)
30.56 23.86 19.31 10.03 9.04 3.04 4.16
2002-03 100(6881)
22.30 29.81 20.18 11.08 9.34 2.98 4.32
2003-04 100(6092)
19.10 27.61 24.15 11.10 8.96 3.31 5.77
2004-05 100(6647)
18.09 23.41 27.37 10.43 9.46 3.68 7.56
2005-06 100(7245)
15.96 22.63 29.46 11.72 8.09 4.25 7.91
2006-07 100(8364)
16.18 16.11 33.00 13.83 7.37 4.44 9.05
2007-08 100(7621)
16.11 13.34 34.96 13.25 7.53 5.17 9.64
2008-09 100(8608)
14.34 11.87 33.16 15.06 10.14 5.53 9.91
2009-10 100(10049)
12.83 10.08 29.99 17.82 14.72 5.51 9.05
2010-11 100(12901)
13.05 15.43 26.81 15.33 16.39 5.20 7.80
2011-12 100(16597)
12.90 17.94 22.96 7.59 25.27 5.39 7.96
2012-13 100(18856)
10.60 21.35 22.15 7.66 23.11 5.90 9.22
2013-14 100(30213)
8.15 25.63 20.29 5.85 26.63 5.29 8.15
2014-15 100(33442)
9.09 26.40 20.08 4.03 25.78 6.04 8.57
2015-16 100(30421)
8.58 28.38 20.75 4.71 24.65 5.90 7.04
2016-17 100(37871)
6.92 30.32 18.20 3.54 30.27 4.83 5.92
2017-18 100(45107)
6.31 32.74 15.78 3.21 31.59 4.10 6.27
2018-19 100(46589)
6.27 34.81 13.43 12.18 22.67 4.25 6.40
CAGR 1.67 15.72 12.38 7.82 20.56 16.76 17.84 11.87
Figures in the parentheses indicate the total value of marine products export in Rs. crore.
Source: Marine Products Export Development Authority, Cochin
2020 Vinod Kumar 25

Product-wise Exports
There are six major marine products exported from India. Table 13 reveals that
frozen shrimp is the major export item accounting for 6.14 lakh tonnes of total
quantum of marine products exported, followed by frozen fin fish, frozen squid,
dried items, frozen cuttlefish, chilled items, live items, whereas the highest annual
growth rate would be seen in dried fish and chilled items registering annual growth
rate of 14.40 per cent and 14.12 per cent, respectively during 2018-19. India's
export of marine products in quantity terms was increased from 2.96 lakh tonnes
in 1995 to 13.93 lakh tonnes in 2018-19, registering an annual growth rate of 6.79
per cent. The data on quantity-wise export of marine products reveals that the
frozen shrimp and frozen fin fish put together is around 69 per cent out of total
export during 2018-19 and that for 1995-95 was 66 per cent (Figures 6 and 7). The
share of frozen shrimp increased from 32.31 per cent in 1995-96 to 44.10 per cent
in 2018-19. The share of dried fish registered a significant growth from 2.53 per
cent in 1995-96 to 6.84 per cent in 2018-19.
 26 Trade Performance of Indian Fisheries 2020

Table 13: Item-wise Export of Indian Marine Products (Based on

Quantity)
(Quantity in Tonnes)
Year Fr. Fr.Fin Fr.Cuttlefish Fr. Dried Live Chilled Others Total
Shrimp Fish Squid items items items
1995-96 95724 100093 33845 45025 7506 1756 2773 9555 296277
1996-97 105427 173005 31778 40924 9893 2030 1578 13563 378199
1997-98 101318 188029 37258 35095 5840 1700 3183 13395 385818
1998-99 102484 108556 34589 32254 6320 2148 2624 13960 302934
1999-00 110275 131304 32799 34918 6853 1678 3088 22116 343031
2000-01 111874 212903 33677 37628 7532 1844 3820 31195 440473
2001-02 127709 174976 30568 39790 8307 1628 3284 38209 424470
2002-03 134815 196322 41381 37838 8178 2115 3350 43299 467297
2003-04 129768 138023 39610 37832 12574 2341 3779 48090 412017
2004-05 138085 159689 44239 48124 9692 2262 3988 55250 461329
2005-06 145180 182344 49651 52352 14167 2568 5060 60841 512164
2006-07 137397 270751 55701 47252 24293 2478 7200 67571 612641
2007-08 136223 220200 45955 34172 22414 2498 6541 73698 541701
2008-09 126039 238544 50750 57125 31688 3434 21453 73801 602835
2009-10 130553 260979 63504 61445 47053 5492 28817 80592 678436
2010-11 151465 312358 59159 87579 79059 5208 21118 97145 813091
2011-12 189125 347118 54671 77373 53721 4199 21278 114538 862021
2012-13 228620 343876 63296 75387 72953 4373 26868 112841 928215
2013-14 301435 324359 68577 87437 67901 5080 19755 109212 983756
2014-15 357505 309434 82353 69569 70544 5488 31404 124947 1051243
2015-16 373866 228749 65596 81769 43320 5493 33150 113949 945892
2016-17 434486 296762 63320 99348 61071 6703 31815 141442 1134948
2017-18 565980 353192 69183 100845 88997 7034 19501 172512 1377244
2018-19 614145 338933 60210 101101 95296 10179 17207 155487 1392559
(44.10) (24.34) (4.32) (7.26) (6.84) (0.73) (1.24) (11.17) (100)
CAGR 7.58 4.63 3.93 5.12 14.40 7.55 14.12 12.38 6.79
Source: Marine Products Export Development Authority, Cochin
2020 Vinod Kumar 27

In terms of value of marine products export, the share of frozen shrimp varied
between 72.29 per cent and 41.62 per cent during 1995-96 to 2018-19 (Table 14).
The foreign exchange earnings by the export of frozen shrimp which was
Rs.2356.81 crore in 1995-96 increased to Rs.31800.51 crore in 2018-19, registering
a CAGR of 11.16 per cent. Frozen fin Fish occupies second position in contribution
to the foreign exchange resource with a contribution of range from Rs.372.26 crore
in 1995-96 to Rs.4916.82 crore in 2018-19. The frozen cuttlefish export increased
from Rs.260.86 crore in 1995-96 to Rs.1975.97 crore in 2018-19. The contribution
from frozen squid was Rs.319.58 crore in 1995-96 to Rs.2506.99 crore in 2018-19
recording a growth rate of 11.17 per cent. The contribution from other fish items
increased from Rs.99.24 crore in 1995-96 to Rs.3060.53 crore in 2018-19,
registering a CAGR of 15.91 per cent. The percentage share of frozen shrimp, frozen
fin fish, frozen squid, chilled items in total export of marine products was 68.26 per
cent, 10.55 per cent, 5.38 per cent and 1.32 per cent, respectively in 2018-19 as
compared to 67.32 per cent, 10.63 per cent, 9.13 per cent and 0.74 per cent in 1995-
96. The item-wise export of marine products during 1995-96 and 2018-19 based on
value are shown in Figures 8 and 9, respectively.
 28 Trade Performance of Indian Fisheries 2020

Table 14: Item-wise Export of Indian Marine Products (Based on Value)

(Rs. Crore)
Year Fr. Shrimp Fr.Fin Fr.Cuttlefish Fr. Dried Live Chilled Others Total
Fish Squid items items items
1995-96 2356.81 372.26 260.86 319.58 44.97 21.31 26.08 99.24 3501.11
1996-97 2701.76 636.92 272.37 290.45 42.67 33.97 18.74 124.48 4121.36
1997-98 3140.56 726.73 323.41 270.89 34.85 29.34 44.31 127.39 4697.48
1998-99 3344.91 495.03 273.31 268.93 40.51 47.08 29.18 127.91 4626.86
1999-00 3645.22 537.34 286.22 296.80 44.33 37.99 44.97 223.81 5116.67
2000-01 4481.51 874.68 288.99 324.43 70.22 39.88 71.63 292.54 6443.89
2001-02 4139.92 713.11 280.07 329.67 67.96 40.57 63.66 322.09 5957.05
2002-03 4608.31 841.65 417.09 384.37 84.23 53.66 59.14 432.88 6881.31
2003-04 4013.07 620.73 435.17 372.92 145.68 51.10 64.03 389.23 6091.95
2004-05 4220.67 759.27 474.01 477.26 121.01 50.75 68.14 475.58 6646.69
2005-06 4271.51 998.70 549.15 575.52 132.56 61.71 81.56 574.58 7245.30
2006-07 4506.08 1452.88 797.37 568.32 183.16 64.06 117.3 674.35 8363.53
2007-08 3941.62 1303.41 744.13 408.42 258.88 69.07 118.11 777.29 7620.92
2008-09 3779.80 1722.34 761.05 632.35 420.75 99.00 217.34 975.33 8607.94
2009-10 4182.35 2032.33 923.83 622.63 981.11 139.14 264.49 902.64 10048.53
2010-11 5718.13 2623.89 1104.57 1010.57 954.94 142.15 257.54 1089.67 12901.47
2011-12 8175.26 3284.15 1346.72 1228.19 562.65 154.61 357.42 1488.24 16597.23
2012-13 9706.36 3296.86 1354.28 1378.08 819.90 197.89 537.11 1565.78 18856.26
2013-14 19368.30 4294.81 1386.98 1731.97 998.00 281.85 527.84 1623.50 30213.26
2014-15 22468.12 3778.50 1833.21 1275.25 1010.16 301.51 635.93 2138.94 33441.61
2015-16 20045.50 3462.25 1636.11 1615.21 725.58 308.81 809.5 1817.87 30420.83
2016-17 24711.32 4460.90 1944.50 2575.29 871.74 403.75 769.81 2133.59 37870.90
2017-18 30868.17 4674.03 2356.46 2451.87 1042.37 286.11 647.41 2780.48 45106.89
2018-19 31800.51 4916.82 1975.97 2506.99 1323.45 388.88 616.22 3060.53 46589.4
(68.26) (10.55) (4.24) (5.38) (2.84) (0.83) (1.32) (6.57) (100)
CAGR(%) 11.16 12.18 11.16 11.17 19.43 13.46 18.10 15.91 11.87
Figures in the parentheses indicate percentage to the total
Source: Marine Products Export Development Authority, Cochin
2020 Vinod Kumar 29

Institutional Credit, Private Investment and Public-Private-Partnership

Union Government and State/UTs should coordinate with financial institutions
like- NABARD, NCDC, and external Agencies - World Bank, ADB, JICA, etc. to
ensure increased flow of institutional credit to fisheries sector. Business friendly
environment to be made to attract private investment across the value chain based
on demand rather than incentives or subsidies. Business models are to be
developed in consultation with IIT/IIM/ICAR, etc. for replication in the sector. A
robust system of public private partnership should be developed where the private
30 Trade Performance of Indian Fisheries 2020

sector, industry, farmers, communities, government, research institutes and civil

societies are part of it.

Presently credit to fisheries is extended by both institutional and non-institutional

players. The institutional players include banks such as Commercial banks,
Regional Rural banks, Small Finance Banks and Cooperative banks and also
agencies like NBFCs, Microfinance Institutions, etc. As reported in the 70th round
survey of National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO), formal institutions
account for 60 percent of indebtedness of farmer households in India. This
estimate may hold good for fish farmers as well.

Credit Planning
NABARD has been preparing the Potential Linked Credit Plans (PLP) every year by
taking district as the unit for all the districts in the country. Potential for working
capital, term loan are assessed after taking into account the potential available
under each sub sector, status of backward and forward linkages and other support
services. The PLPs are forming the basis for arriving at the Annual Credit Plan by
the banks in the district. The PLPs have projected the potential for ground level
credit of Rs.15171.25 crore for the year 2020-21 (Table 15).

Table 15: State-wise Potential Linked Credit Plan Projections for

Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector for the Year 2020-21
(Rs. Lakh)
States 2020-11
Andhra Pradesh 272143
West Bengal 187018
Odisha 108373
Tamil Nadu 151017
Gujarat 70533
Kerala 75636
Uttar Pradesh 66162
Bihar 111458
Karnataka 87413
Maharashtra 95700
Chhattisgarh 30486
2020 Vinod Kumar 31

Telangana 11740
Assam 28011
Haryana 23371
Jharkhand 20801
Madhya Pradesh 99138
Punjab 35896
Goa 4700
Arunachal Pradesh 1687
Himachal Pradesh 6311
Jammu& Kashmir 3649
Manipur 2732
Meghalaya 2455
Nagaland 1111
Rajasthan 2524
Sikkim 75
Tripura 12959
Uttarakhand 4027
India 1517125
Source: NABARD State Focus Papers, 2020-21

Impact of Covid-19 on Global Fish Trade

According to FAO report on 'The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture, 2020',
in 2018, 67 million metric tonnes of fish (live weight equivalent) were traded
internationally, equating to almost 38 per cent of all fish caught or farmed
worldwide. The total export value of USD 164 billion recorded in 2018 represented
almost 11 per cent of the export value of agricultural products. At present India is
contributing about 7.73 per cent of the global fish production and 4 per cent of the
global fish trade. From 1976 to 2018, the value of global exports of fish and fish
products increased at an annual rate of 8 per cent in nominal terms. Available
estimates for 2019 suggest that total trade value contracted by about 2 per cent in
both quantity and value compared with the previous year. The outbreak of
coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has already negatively impacted trade among key
exporters and importers in 2020. Although COVID-19 does not infect aquatic
species (FAO, 2020), it has affected the fisheries and aquaculture food systems like
no other shock before. The protection measures taken by governments to contain
the spread of the disease, while necessary, have impacted each step of the seafood
32 Trade Performance of Indian Fisheries 2020

supply chain, from fishing and aquaculture production, to processing, transport,

and wholesale and retail marketing.

Fishing activities have been decreased in both artisanal and industrial sectors
during the pandemic. According to Global Fishing Watch, global industrial fishing
activity had fallen by about 6.5 per cent as at the end of April 2020, compared with
previous years, as a result of restrictions and closures related to COVID-19
(Clavelle, 2020). Limited supplies (e.g., ice, fuel, gear and belt) due to suppliers
being closed or unable to provide inputs on credit, have also constrained fishing
activities. Labour shortages have also had a severe impact on fishing activities,
particularly where crews are made up of migrant workers. As a consequence, their
families in home countries are having to cope with the reduction or halting of
remittance flows (World Bank, 2020). Recently, in some regions, signs of
improvement have been evident in some fisheries (e.g. changes in target species
and in marketing strategies in line with changes in demand), with some small-scale
fisheries potentially adjusting more quickly to market demand. Another
consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, linked to global trade, is the cancellation
of key seafood trade events across the world including India. Fish and fish products
export from India, the world’s fourth largest exporting nation, is likely to decline by
5-10 per cent in 2019-20 due to demand compression in the wake of COVID-19
induced pandemic (PIB, 24 May 2020).

SWOT Analysis of Fisheries Sector of India

Strengths Weaknesses
 Long coast line and large number of Inland:
water bodies /water sources  Seasonal nature of fishing
 Established fishing industry with operations
wide variety of species  Depleted stocks of natural waters
 Second largest aqua producer in the  Issues of tenure and lease rights
world and third largest fish producer  Use of obsolete technology for
in the world harvesting Low capital infusion
 Higher growth rates in Aquaculture  Inadequate access to institutional
sector credit
 Support from Government for both  Low scale operations and low yields
production and post-production  Lack of extension services
including harvest  Primary Stakeholders are poverty
2020 Vinod Kumar 33

 Acceptance of Indian produce in ridden

world markets  Poor access to quality seed and feed
 Contributing about 19.23% of Marine:
national agriculture export  Limited scope for expansion due to
 Source of livelihood for 16 million overcapacities in territorial waters
households  Weak regulation
 Contribution of nearly 1.03% of GDP  Inefficient and traditional fishing
 Availability of unexploited potential practices
 Existing markets can be converted to  Inadequate infrastructure like
meet the phytosanitary conditions of fishing harbours, landing centres,
export markets with traceability cold chains and hygienic markets
 Separate skill development  Poor processing facilities and lack of
programmes for improving the value value addition, high wastage
chain are being implemented in  Issues related to traceability and
large scale certification
 Non-availability of skilled
manpower
 Primary Stakeholders are poverty
ridden
Opportunities Threats
 Special focused schemes for  Deteriorating physical condition of
development of fisheries sector resources (specially the water quality
 Availability of good domestic market and quantity)
as consumption is low when  Low input culture system
compared to other countries  Lack of diversity in culture practices
 Availability of financial incentives and species
 Availability of specialised  Low productivity
institutions for development of the  Inadequate regulatory mechanism
sector  Increased incidents of disease
 Availability of unexplainable  High cost of credit
potential in both inland and marine  Unhygienic markets
fisheries  Anti-dumping duties by different
 Specific policies for development are export destinations
made by GoI/State Governments  Climate Change and cyclones, floods
 Only specific community takes up and droughts
these activities and they live in
clusters nearby and therefore
extension services would be possible
 Further, this gives scope for
aggregation in both forward and
backward integration of value chain
Source: Theme Chapter on ‘Blue Revolution’, NABARD Annual Report-2019-20

Constraints in the Growth of Fisheries Sector

 Major constraints impacting the growth of marine capture fisheries include
limited scope for expansion due to overcapacities in territorial waters, weak
regulation, inefficient management and prevalence of traditional fishing
practices. Inadequate infrastructure especially fishing harbours, landing
34 Trade Performance of Indian Fisheries 2020

centers, cold chain and distribution systems, poor processing and value
addition, wastage, traceability and certification, non-availability of skilled
manpower, etc. are some of the other factors constraining the growth of the
capture fisheries. In inland capture fisheries, seasonal nature of fishing
operations, depleted stocks in natural waters, issues related with tenure and
lease rights, use of obsolete technology for harvesting coupled with low
capital infusion are some of the significant limiting factors.
 Specific problems negating the growth of culture fisheries include poor
physical condition of resources (specially the water quality and quantity),
low input culture system, lack of diversity in culture practices and species,
lower productivity, inadequate regulatory mechanism, increased incidents of
disease, low levels of investment, inadequate access to institutional credit
and high cost of credit, inadequate infrastructure for pre-production,
production, post-harvest and processing facilities, low adoption of
technologies and shortage of skilled manpower in aquaculture and extension
services.
 Fisheries sector suffers from low-scale, stagnating yields of inland and
freshwater aquaculture and faulty handling practices, inordinate delay in
packing and transportation and lack of proper cold storage facilities, leading
to an estimated Rs.61000 crore post-harvest losses. The inland fisheries
reported higher annual post-harvest losses of Rs.46000 crore as compared
to marine fisheries (Rs.15000 crore).
 Processing and value addition with compliance to food safety norms is a
major constraint in fishery sector, especially to enter the export and
international markets.
 Presently fish productivity (2.9 MT/ha) of fresh water aquaculture is far
below the potential.
 There is a huge gap in the fish seed production and its availability in the
country.
2020 Vinod Kumar 35

Strategies to Overcome the Constraints in Fisheries Sector

 Aquaculture needs to be treated at par with agriculture in terms of water,
power tariff, tax benefits, subsidy, insurance and credit.
 Strengthen and modernize value chain including creation of fisheries
infrastructure to increase shelf life, reduction of post-harvest losses and
production of value added products.
 Promote community partnerships, private participation and effective
cooperative movement in fisheries sector.
 Modernization of fishing vessels to handle storage and quality preservation
of fish.
 Fishing harbours and fish landing centres play a vital role in ensuring safe
fish landing, berthing of fishing vessels, pre-processing and auctioning.
 There is a need for diversification of fish production in other areas like
integrated fish farming, cold water fisheries, riverine fisheries, capture
fisheries, brackish water fisheries, etc.
 Expansion of area under aquaculture has to become an important option to
boost fish production.
 Promotion of cluster approach as a key strategy for focused and
concentrated development of aquaculture with emphasis on creation of
integrated production and processing clusters with supporting
infrastructure.
 There is a need for availability of quality seed and feed for sustained growth
in inland fish production in the long run.
Conclusion
Fisheries and aquaculture remain an important source of food, nutrition,
employment and income for millions, especially the rural populations. In fact, the
sector provides livelihood to about 16 million people at the primary level and
almost twice the number along the value chain. The sector has immense potential
to double the fishers and fish farmers’ incomes by 2022. The fish production in the
country has increased from 3.84 MMT in 1990-91 to 13.76 MMT in 2018-19,
registering an annual growth rate of 4.05 per cent. West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil
Nadu, Gujarat and Kerala, together, account for 65.62 per cent of the total fish
36 Trade Performance of Indian Fisheries 2020

production in the country in 2018-19. The total fisheries potential of India has been
estimated at 22.31 MMT in 2018, of this, the marine fisheries potential stands at an
estimated 5.31 MMT and the inland fisheries potential has been estimated at 17
MMT. During 2018-19, 71 per cent of marine fisheries potential and 58 per cent of
the inland fisheries potential have been harnessed. Fish and fish products during
2019-20 emerged as the largest group in agricultural exports from India, with
Rs.47618 crore in value terms. This accounts for around 2.06 per cent of the total
exports and 17.34 per cent of the agricultural exports, and contributes 7.28 per cent
to the Agriculture Gross Value Added (GVA) and 1.24 per cent to the National GVA
at current prices of the country. The ratio of fisheries (marine) export to fisheries
GVA was 22.37 per cent at current prices during 2018-19. USA, South East Asia,
European Union and China are the major export markets for Indian seafood with a
share of 34.81 per cent, 22.67 per cent, 13.43 per cent and 12.18 per cent,
respectively in value terms during 2018-19. Frozen shrimp remained the major
export item (68%) followed by frozen fin fish (11%). Study revealed that the export
of fish and fish products have performed well and present policies too seem to have
augmented their growth. To give exports a further boost numerous sanitary and
phyto-sanitary measures should be taken up robustly to ensure international
hygiene standards for Indian fisheries products. Within fish and fish products,
India is highly competitive in shrimps and prawns and it should try to exploit this
strength. To make Indian fisheries products internationally competitive in terms of
quality, domestic processing efficiency has to be streamlined on HACCP principles.

Suggestions for Enhancing the Fish Production and Export of Marine

Products from the Country
(i) Diversify the culture practices into commercially important shellfish and
finfish, to enhance aquaculture production and increase the varieties.
(ii) There is a need for setting up the sophisticated residue control
laboratories in the maritime States for ensuring production of quality
seafood.
2020 Vinod Kumar 37

(iii) Establishing traceability of aquaculture through enrollment of farms and

hatcheries. Shrimp farms and hatcheries enrolment procedures are
needed.
(iv) Setting up of protocols and standards for fish and fishery products in
compliance with international food safety standards including HACCP,
promoting safe food and sustainable trade.
(v) Establishing presence of Indian sea foods in major international markets
by co-branding Indian products with major buyers and by giving
publicity in different media abroad.
(vi) Knowledge management including use of Artificial Intelligence will be an
approach to foster quick and easy dissemination and availability of
information on key attributes of marine fisheries sector, such as resource
abundance and distribution; real-time resource maps; productivity
assessments; real-time Potential Fishing Zone (PFZ) advisories; and
weather forecasts for the benefit of fishers.
(vii) Modernize and strengthen value chain including creation of adequate
infrastructure to minimize post-harvest loss and increased value addition
to ensure higher income for fishers and fish farmers will be needed.
Greater focus should be on ‘sustainable user management’ of the
infrastructure and services for long term viability and efficiency.
(viii) More attention may be given for product and market diversification in
exports with improved infrastructure, trained human resources and
support facilities to move up the value chain and meet international
standards (WTO).
(ix) Increase access to institutional credit at affordable cost for financing
investment in fixed and working capital in fisheries sector especially
aquaculture, mariculture, post-harvest and marketing. Facilitate credit
guarantee and insurance cover for fisheries sector.
(x) Aquaculture development efforts should be aligned with relevant
national and global instruments, guidelines and good practices including
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
38 Trade Performance of Indian Fisheries 2020

(xi) Post-harvest infrastructure including Cold chain for reduction of post-

harvest losses need to be developed and strengthened. Requisite
infrastructure such as processing plants, cold storages, ice plants,
freezing and packing plants, value addition, fish and fisheries products
transportation vehicles including refrigerated and insulated vehicles, ice
flaking and ice crushing units, ice/fish holding boxes, warehouses, etc.
should be encouraged.
(xii) Promotion of Fishers/Fish Farmers Producer Organizations, Companies,
Cooperatives and Federations for enhancing the bargaining power of
fishers and fish farmers in marketing of fish and fish products and
empowering them to graduate into entrepreneurs.
(xiii) There is a need for creation of awareness on fish quality, safety and
standards, training manpower for ensuring regulatory compliances,
promoting voluntary compliances to regulatory standards.

References
Clavelle, T. (2020). Global fisheries during COVID-19. In: Global Fishing Watch
(online). [Cited 22 May 2020]. https://globalfishingwatch.org/data-blog/global-
fisheries-during-covid-19/
Food and Agriculture Organization (2020) report on “The State of World Fisheries
and Aquaculture 2020”.
Government of India, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export
Development Authority (2020), Ministry of Commerce, New Delhi.
Government of India. National Accounts Statistics (various issues), Central
Statistical Organisation, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation,
New Delhi.
Government of India (2020), National Fisheries Policy 2020. Ministry of Fisheries,
Animal Husbandry and Dairying, New Delhi.
Government of India (2020), Press Information Bureau, 26 May 2020. Ministry of
Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, New Delhi.
Government of India, Handbook on Fisheries Statistics, 2008, 2014 and 2018.
Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying,
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2020 Vinod Kumar 39

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