Lok Sabha Question No. 5050 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-04-01
Subject: Entrepreneurship in Fisheries Sector
Ministry: FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING
Asked by: Shri Mohite Patil Dhairyasheel Rajsinh, Dr. Amol Ramsing Kolhe, Smt. Supriya Sule, Shri Sanjay Dina Patil, Prof. Varsha Eknath Gaikwad, Shri Bhaskar Murlidhar Bhagare, Shri Nilesh Dnyandev Lanke

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5050 TO BE ANSWERED ON 1 ST  APRIL, 2025

## Entrepreneurship in Fisheries Sector

## 5050. Shri Nilesh Dnyandev Lanke:

Prof. Varsha Eknath Gaikwad:

Shri Bhaskar Murlidhar Bhagare:

Shri Sanjay Dina Patil:

Smt. Supriya Sule:

Dr. Amol Ramsing Kolhe:

Shri Mohite Patil Dhairyasheel Rajsinh:

Will  the  Minister  of  FISHERIES,  ANIMAL  HUSBANDRY  AND  DAIRYING be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  Government  has  organized  Fisheries  Startup  Conclave  2.0  to  promote innovation  and  entrepreneurship  in  the  fisheries  sector,  if  so,  the  details  of  event, including the number of startups that participated and the key outcomes achieved;
- (b) the financial and technical support provided to fisheries startups through this initiative;
- (c) the number of fisheries-related startups that have been supported under Government Schemes in the last three years;
- (d)  the  specific  areas  of  fisheries  technology,  aquaculture  and  value  addition  that  the Government is focusing on;
- (e)  whether  there  is  any  collaboration  with  research  institutions,  incubators  or  private investors to boost the fisheries startup ecosystem;
- (f)  the  details  of  fishing  harbours  and  landing  centres  developed  under  Government Schemes;
- (g)  whether  there  is  a  shortage  of  cold  storage,  processing  units  and  marketing infrastructure in various coastal States; and
- (h) the steps taken to improve cold storage, fish processing and market access for smallscale fishermen?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING (SHRI GEORGE KURIAN)

(a) to (c) Yes, the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying , Government  of  India has  organized  the  Fisheries  Startup  Conclave  on  8 th   March,  2025  at Hyderabad, Telangana to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in the fisheries sector. During the  Conclave,  the  'Fisheries  Startup  Grand  Challenge  2.0'  was  launched  with  the  aim  to encourage the startups to  develop  transformative  solutions  in  the  fisheries  sector  and  to  drive innovation, sustainability and efficiency by supporting Startups with seed funding and incubation. The  Fisheries  Startup  Conclave  witnessed  active  participation  from  over  50  fisheries  startups, highlighting  their  innovations  in  areas  such  as  aquaculture,  fisheries  technology,  and  value addition. Key outcomes of the conclave included the identification of potential areas for promoting innovation  and  sustainability,  challenges  and  opportunities  for  startups  regarding  validation  of their  products  &  services,  access  to  funding,  market  linkages,  technology  adoption  and sustainability concerns.

Under Fisheries Startup Grand Challenge 2.0, two Startup winners will be selected    for each of the five problem statements, resulting in a total of 10 Grand Winners. Each winning Startup will receive a cash prize of Rs. 10.00 lakh, amounting to Rs. 1 crore in seed funding support. Winning Startups will gain access to incubation facilities and mentorship provided by ICAR, National Fisheries Development Board,  and  attached  offices  of  the  Department  of  Fisheries,  GoI.  This  challenge  presents  a  unique opportunity for fisheries-focused startups to develop high-impact solutions, scale their innovations, and contribute to the growth and modernization of India's fisheries sector. Earlier, on 13 th  January, 2022, Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying in collaboration with the Startup  India  under  the  Invest  India,  DPIIT,  Government  of  India  organised  the  Fisheries  Grand Challenge 1.0, wherein,12 Startup winners were selected and awarded a cash grant of Rs 2.00 lakh each, including an incubation support and a seed grant up to Rs. 20.00 lakh (General category) and Rs. 30.00 lakh (SC/ST/Women) to 10 winners for transforming their ideas into effective pilots, which would  further  translate  into  commercialization.  Further,  the  Department  of  Fisheries,  Ministry  of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India has also sanctioned 39 Nos of Project Proposals  with  subsidy  assistance  of  Rs.  31.22  Crores,  under  the  Entrepreneur  Model  of  Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) scheme.

(d) & (e) The  Department  of  Fisheries,  Ministry  of  Fisheries,  Animal  Husbandry  and  Dairying Government of India is focusing on the areas in fisheries technology, aquaculture, and value addition by supporting  a  basket  of  interventions/activities  along  the  fisheries  value  chain  including  quality  fish production,  expansion,  diversification  and  intensification  of  aquaculture,  promotion  of  export  oriented species,  infusion  of  technology,  robust  disease  management  and  traceability,  training  and  capacity building,  creation  of  modern  post-harvest  infrastructure  with  seamless  cold  chain  and  processing facilities.  The  technology  infusion  and  adoption has been enhanced through establishment of 52,058 reservoir  cages,  22,057  RAS  &  Biofloc  units  and  raceways  and  1,525  sea  cages  approved  under PMMSY with an investment of Rs. 3040.87 crore. The Department of Fisheries has collaborated with several  research  institutions  under  Indian  Council  of  Agricultural  Research  (ICAR)  and  private incubators to boost the fisheries startup ecosystem.

The  Department  of  Fisheries  has  supported  the  establishment  of  five  fisheries  business  incubation centers  namely  LINAC-NCDC Fisheries Business Incubation Centre (LlFIC), Guwahati Biotech Park, Assam, National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad, ICAR-Central Institute  of  Fisheries  Education  (CIFE),  Mumbai  and  ICAR-Central  Institute  of  Fisheries  Technology (CIFT), Kochi to provide mentorship and training for developing business models by fisheries start-ups, cooperatives, FPOs, and SHGs.

(f) The Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Government of India  has  approved  construction/modernization  of  66  Fishing  Harbors  (FHs)  and  50  Fish  Landing Centers  (FLCs)  with  total  outlay  of  Rs.  9,558.91  crore  that  are  expected  to  create  safe  landing  and berthing for about 47,000 fishing vessels, benefitting 8.94 lakhs fishers and other stakeholders. 3 Smart & Integrated Fishing Harbours are being developed with global standards, technological advancements, seamless hygienic and post-harvest management etc. Under Fisheries Infrastructure and Aquaculture Development Fund (FIDF) 141 proposals have been approved with a total project cost of Rs. 5915.54 crore.  This  included  establishment/  upgradation/maintenance  of  22  Fishing  harbours  and  24  Fish Landing  Centres  at  an  outlay  of  Rs.  4,905.77  crore  and  Rs.  182.20  crore,  respectively.  6.16  lakh stakeholders are expected to benefit, and 2.5 lakh employment opportunities will be created including 8,000 stakeholders benefiting from 33 private investment projects.

(g)& (h) Under  Pradhan  Mantri  Matsya  Sampada  Yojana  (PMMSY)  and  Fisheries  and  Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) the Department of Fisheries has approved the development of post-harvest  interface  viz-  cold  storage,  fish  processing  and  Marketing  infrastructure.  The  major  postharvest and Marketing infrastructure include; 66 fishing harbours/fish landing centres, 634 ice plants/cold storages,  21  Modern  wholesale  fish  markets  including  3  Smart  Wholesale  Markets,  202  retail  fish markets, 6694 fish kiosks, 27118 units of fish transportation facilities, 128 value add enterprises, 5 Eplatform  for  e-trading  and  e-marketing  of  fish  and  fisheries  products.  Further,  the  Department  of Fisheries  signed  a  Memorandum  of  Understanding  (MoU)  with  Open  Network  for  Digital  Commerce (ONDC) with an objective to provide a digital platform and empower all stakeholders including traditional fishermen, fish farmers producer organization, entrepreneurs from fisheries sector to buy and sell their products through e-market place. Further, PMMSY has supported 2195 fisheries cooperatives as Fish Farmers Producer Organizations (FFPOs) with project outlay of Rs. 544.85 crore to facilitate fishermen with better market linkages, improved bargaining power and sustainable value-chain for higher returns.