BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday unveiled an ambitious roadmap to transform fisheries and aquaculture into a major driver under its Blue Economy.
The chief minister said the government is committed to making Odisha’s fisheries and aquaculture a key driver of economic growth, targeting 20-25 per cent of agricultural GSDP by 2047.
He announced the Odisha Shrimp Mission, which aims to expand eco-friendly shrimp farming across 10,000 hectares and increase exports by 2 lakh tonnes annually, generating an estimated Rs 12,000 crore revenue.
The initiative is expected to benefit over two lakh farmers through higher incomes, employment and training, supported by a dedicated Aquaculture and Shrimp Export Cell to strengthen value-addition and export infrastructure.
The Deep-Sea Fishing Mission will also be scaled up, with plans to build 150 new deep-sea vessels and upgrade 500 mechanised boats over five years. Fishing harbours at Paradip, Dhamara, Chandipur and Astaranga will be modernised to improve marine infrastructure and enhance fish landings by an additional 1 lakh metric tonne annually, benefiting around 10,000 fishers.
The government has also earmarked Rs 201 crore under Mukhyamantri Matsyajibi Kalyan Yojana for fishers’ welfare and Rs 245 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana for harbour modernisation and deep-sea fishing infrastructure, including a new harbour at Gopalpur.