Fisheries Sector Expanding Horizons for Formal and Sustainable Employment

Jul 16, 2026

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India’s fisheries sector is expanding from informal, subsistence work into structured, policy-aligned growth that generates year-round employment across inland fisheries and aquaculture. Under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, 17 new fisheries clusters were launched, strengthening infrastructure, finance access, entrepreneurship development, and market linkages. The article links production growth and seafood exports to formal, sustainable jobs and food and nutritional security.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages60

Reading Time2 h 31 min

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www.employmentnews gov.in,www.rojgarsamachargov.inAlso in Hindi &Urdumployment NewsWEEKLYVOL.L ISSUE NO.17 PAGES 60NEW DELHI 26 JULY-1 AUGUST 2025天12.00 (Annual 530) # Fisheries Sector:Expanding Horizons for Formaland Sustainable Employment and allied value chain activities—from a reflection of sustained investment and hatcheries to packaging and transport—are unlocking year-round employment,while also contributing to food andnutritional security in underserved regions. policy focus.Ofthis,inland and aquaculturefisheries contributed the majority,havingregistered a 77.71 lakh tonne increasefrom 2014 to 2024,indicating their centralrole in driving growth. The shift toward structured growth andformalisation received a strong push onNational Fish Farmers Day 2025,whenUnion Minister Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh,Ministry of Fisheries,Animal Husbandry&Dairying(MoFAH&D),launched 17 newfisheries clusters under the Pradhan MantriMatsya Sampada Yojana(PMMSY).Thisbrings the national tally to 34 clusters,covering a wide range of themes—fromcoldwater fisheries in Ladakh to organicfisheries in Meghalaya and paddy-cum-fish farming in Mizoram. India today ranks as the second-largestfish producing country,accounting forapproximately 8%of global production,and has cemented its position as a globalaquaculture leader.According to theMarine Products Export DevelopmentAuthority(MPEDA),India exported 17.82lakh metric tonnes of seafood worth Rs. 60,523.89 crore in 2024,marking a 100-fold increase in value from Rs.609.95crore in 2004. These clusters are not just productionhubs—they are employment ecosystems,designed to integrate smaland marginalcooperatives,and fisheries start-upsinto a cohesive value chain.Backed byNABARD,Ministry of MSME,ICAR,andthe Department of Fisheries,these clustersaim to improve infrastructure,access tofinance,entrepreneurship development,and market linkages—core enablers offormal,sustainable employment. Jyoti Tiwari and blue economy vision. Once dominated by informal labourand subsistence fishing,the sector isnow increasingly organised,technology-driven,and policy-aligned.This evolutionis most visible in the inland fisheries andaquaculture space,which has becomea beacon of income diversificationfor landless rural families,womenentrepreneurs,and young agri-preneurs.Integrated fish-livestock farming models n India,the fisheries sector is undergoingla transformative shift—from a traditional,fragmented livelihood activity to a fast-expanding, strategically structured,and employment-rich growth engine.With nearly 28 million people directly orindirectly dependent on fisheries and alliedactivities the sector today represents notonly a critical livelihood source but also afront-runner in India's rural employment Policy-Driven Transformation Over the past decade,a series ofpolicy interventions have been pivotalin transforming India's fsheries sectorfrom subsistence-based activity intoan organised,employment-generatinggrowth engine.A

Jul 16, 2026

Upload by Himbo