Twelfth Report on Demands for Grants (2020-21) pertaining to Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Department of Fisheries)
Fisheries remain an important source of food, nutrition, employment and income in India. The Sector provides livelihood to about 16 million fishers and fish farmers at the primary level and almost twice the number along the value chain. Recognizing the importance of the sector, an independent Department of Fisheries was created in 2019 to provide sustained and focused attention towards the development of Fisheries Sector. The Sector has been showing a steady growth in the total GVA and accounts for 6.58 per cent of GDP from agriculture, forestry and fishing. The fish production in India has registered an average annual growth rate of more than 7 percent in the recent years. The Sector has been one of the major contributors of foreign exchange earnings with India being one of the leading seafood exporting nations in the world. During 2018-19,export of marine products stood at 13,92,559 metric tonnes and valued at Rs.46,589 crore.
