Tarun Karthick
Campbell Bay, 15 November 2024
The Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, organised the “Investors’ Meet 2024” on November 14 at Swaraj Dweep, showcasing investment potential in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Present at the event were Union Minister MoFAH&D Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Minister of State MoFAH&D S.P. Singh Baghel, Minister of State MoFAH&D George Kurian, and Lt. Governor of A & N Islands Admiral D.K. Joshi. The event also welcomed Secretary – A & N Administration (Fisheries) Abhilaksh Likhi and Chief Secretary – A & N Islands, Keshav Chandra, among other officials and industry stakeholders.
The Andaman & Nicobar Islands, with a vast 6 lakh square km Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) abundant in high-value tuna, represent a promising opportunity in the global $40 billion tuna industry. Although annual yields could reach 60,000 metric tons, current production remains only around 4,420 metric tons, highlighting significant growth potential. The Islands’ location near Southeast Asia provides strategic trade routes by sea and air, priming it as an ideal hub for India’s tuna exports.
In this context, the Department of Fisheries, Government of India, under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), initiated the development of a Tuna Cluster in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. This project emphasises investment in infrastructure, partnerships with investors, training, and capacity-building to enhance operations and improve the global competitiveness of tuna fisheries.
Investors from across India and abroad, including companies from Sri Vijaya Puram, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Goa, Mysore, Pune, Visakhapatnam, Kerala, and Thailand, gathered at the Investors’ Meet to explore opportunities for business in fisheries and aquaculture in A & N Islands.
At the meet, Union Minister Singh emphasised the government’s commitment to transforming the sector through initiatives like PMMSY, PM-MSKY, and the Blue Revolution, supported by an unprecedented ₹38,572 crore investment since 2015. He highlighted the Government’s new target to achieve ₹1 lakh crore in exports through deep-sea fishing, advanced processing facilities, and modern infrastructure.
Lt. Governor Joshi announced plans for a comprehensive fisheries policy that would simplify regulations, fast-track project approvals, and introduce a single-window system to attract private sector investment. He also detailed upcoming facilities, such as fish landing centres, cold chain infrastructure, seafood processing clusters, and dedicated export offices, including MPEDA and EIC, aimed at bolstering local and global fisheries trade. A proposal for a Memorandum of Understanding with coastal states and Southeast Asian countries was introduced to strengthen marine product exports and meet a 60% marine capture target within five years.
Secretary Likhi and Chief Secretary Chandra stressed opportunities in the under-utilised marine resources surrounding the Islands, particularly in sea cage culture and marine ornamental fisheries. The Chief Secretary highlighted the notification of the A&N Islands as a Tuna Cluster as a strategic move to capture the Islands’ blue economy potential, leveraging its location near key tuna markets such as Thailand and Indonesia.