BHUBANESWAR: Setting an ambitious target of annual seafood exports at `20,000 crore in next five years, the State Government on Tuesday signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with Nitte University, Mangalore for preparing an action plan for Odisha to achieve the target.
As per the agreement, the Managlore-based university will undertake a detailed review of baseline conditions on production, processing and seafood export. It will suggest measures for augmenting production from both capture and culture fisheries.
With 24,000 sq km area within the continental shelf, the State has ample potential for marine fisheries development. Freshwater resources of the State are estimated at 6.76 lakh hectare (ha) while brackish water resources cover 4.18 lakh ha including 0.79 lakh ha of Chilika lake and 2.98 lakh ha of estuaries among others.
The State, which ranks sixth in the country in fish production, had exported 34,767 tonnes of marine products worth `2,069 crore which is a 450 per cent jump over the exports of `379 crore recorded in 2000-01.
The university will submit a report inclusive of an action plan and roadmap to the State Government within six months of the signing of the MoA, informed Fisheries and Animal Resources Development (F&ARD) Minister Damodar Rout.
The MoA was signed by Director, Fisheries Bijay Ketan Upadhyay and Prof Iddya Karunasagar, team leader of Nitte University in presence of F&ARD Minister and Secretary Vishal Gagan.