Diversify your fish basket to woo new markets: from rohu, catla to scampi, tilapia, pangasius

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In a caller    gathering  with State fisheries departments, farmers, food  workers, processors and exporters, the Ministry urged them to cultivate a wider scope  of taxon  and follow  the latest farming practices.

In a caller gathering with State fisheries departments, farmers, food workers, processors and exporters, the Ministry urged them to cultivate a wider scope of taxon and follow the latest farming practices. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphotos

Given caller challenges successful seafood exports owed to tariff uncertainty and the interaction of clime change, the Union Fisheries Ministry is advising States and the sportfishing manufacture to diversify their markets and their produce, to trim the hazard of illness and entreaty to planetary customers.

In a caller gathering with State fisheries departments, farmers, food workers, processors and exporters, the Ministry urged them to cultivate a wider scope of taxon and follow the latest farming practices, specified arsenic the integrated multi-trophic aquaculture to cultivate much food successful the aforesaid space, successful bid to entree caller planetary markets.

In fact, Union Fisheries and Animal Husbandry Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh precocious chaired a gathering with envoys from countries seen arsenic imaginable caller markets. Though invited, the United States was absent from the meeting, which was attended by representatives from much than 40 countries, including China, Russia, Iran, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Saudi Arabia.

Reducing risk

A elder Ministry authoritative told The Hindu that a husbandman babelike connected 1 taxon faces a immense risk. If infested by disease, seeds of that peculiar taxon could dispersed from State to State. In 2006-2007, for instance, the achromatic spot syndrome microorganism destroyed the farming of achromatic tiger shrimp, the fashionable brackish h2o species Penaeus monodon.

“We person been asking the farmers to diversify their species. We person a batch of taxon with us, which person some home and planetary demand,” the authoritative said. “We person asked States to beforehand taxon diversification successful inland aquaculture by promoting scampi, tilapia, pangasius successful the spot of varieties specified arsenic rohu (Labeo rohita) and Catla (Catla catla) which bash not person a planetary marketplace presence. We volition assistance States to make accumulation and processing clusters wherever production, processing, worth addition, and export could beryllium done for the payment of farmers and tin make jobs locally,” the authoritative added. 

To debar farmers’ dependency on litopenaeus vannamei (whitleg shrimp) and to guarantee disease-free species, authorities scientists are present moving connected improving 2 indigenous varieties — Penaeus indicus (Indian achromatic prawn) and Penaeus monodon (giant tiger prawn). “Both person bully export markets. We are exporting these taxon to much than 100 countries,” the authoritative said.

Global demand

The authoritative said that determination is immense planetary request for definite finfish similar seabass arsenic its nutrient prime is good. Kerala’s fashionable karimeen oregon pearl spot besides has an planetary appeal. “Both tin beryllium cultivated successful brackish waters. We are present trying to make this assortment peculiarly successful States specified arsenic Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan wherever successful galore parts, groundwater is saline.  We privation crook the discarded onshore into wealthiness land,” the authoritative added. 

The Centre has besides decided to assistance States successful promoting oversea weed marine cage culture, a communal signifier successful China and Norway. “We are present utilizing this arsenic a exemplary successful Karnataka, Goa, and Andhra Pradesh. Indian pompano, metallic pompano, cobia, grouper and seabass could beryllium cultivated utilizing this exertion of mariculture,” the authoritative said. 

“We are creating a web and worth concatenation to guarantee that prime seeds scope to States. Each authorities has their ain food eating culture. We volition cultivate food according to these culinary traditions,” the authoritative said.

Published - January 23, 2026 11:06 p.m. IST

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