India Aims for Rs 1 Lakh Crore Seafood Exports: Deep-Sea Fishing Push

Indore, Feb 20 (PTI) Union Minister of State for Fisheries George Kurian on Thursday said the government is aiming to push up seafood exports to Rs 1 lakh crore and the use of advanced vessels capable of long-distance travel will be encouraged for revving up catching fish from the deep sea to achieve the target.

"We are trying to increase seafood exports to Rs 1 lakh crore in the near future. For this, we are enhancing our deep-sea fishing capacity," the minister told reporters here.

He said the government will promote the use of advanced vessels that can travel up to 200 nautical miles or more from the coast, enabling fishermen to catch more fish.

The Union minister said the country's current annual seafood exports stand at Rs 60,523 crore.

Before his media interaction, Kurian attended an event in the Depalpur region of Indore district to promote the registration of fishermen on the National Fisheries Digital Platform (NFDP).

During the event, he urged all stakeholders to register on the NFDP and take advantage of government schemes.

Officials said the event was attended by 1,500 fisheries cooperative societies, fishermen, and entrepreneurs.

They also mentioned that the number of registered fishermen in Madhya Pradesh was around two lakh, while the state's annual fish production was 3.82 lakh tonnes.

More than 60,000 fishermen from the state have already registered on the NFDP, which was introduced by the Union Fisheries Department in 2024, they added.