India is developing a National Plan of Action (NPOA) for small-scale inland fisheries, aiming to increase annual fish production to 30 million tonnes over the next five years and raise seafood exports to ₹1.25 lakh crore.
Union Fisheries Secretary Dr Abhilaksh Likhi announced the development phase of the plan, which is being prepared under the framework of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries and the Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organisation (BOBP-IGO).
India currently produces around 19.7 million tonnes of fish annually, with inland fisheries contributing nearly three-fourths of the total. Seafood exports have crossed ₹70,000 crore, according to the official release.
The proposed plan seeks to strengthen livelihoods, improve value chains and promote sustainable management of freshwater resources. It will cover rivers, canals, reservoirs, lakes, floodplain wetlands, tanks and cold-water fisheries.
Key focus areas include fishing rights, resource management, employment, gender equality, post-harvest trade, disaster preparedness and climate resilience. Likhi also highlighted climate change and deteriorating water quality, including declining dissolved oxygen levels, as growing challenges for inland fisheries.
He stressed that the plan must translate into practical benefits for fishing communities through coordinated, mission-mode outreach and region-specific interventions.
According to BOBP-IGO Director Dr P. Krishnan, the plan will be finalised after stakeholder consultations before its public launch and subsequent implementation.
The initiative aims to balance production and export growth with sustainable resource use and improved incomes for small-scale fishing communities.
