Gujarat, with the longest coastline of 1,600-km in the country, is deeply rooted in the bounty of its waters, producing an annual average of 8.5 lakh tonnes marine fish in the last four years.
The state, which has also contributed to 17 per cent of India’s total fish exports at Rs 5,000 crore, is now urging its traditional fishing community to adopt modern technologies to harvest the potential of deep-sea fishing, which provides immense possibilities of growth.
The 10 edition of Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, scheduled to be held in state capital Gandhinagar from January 10 to 12, 2024, is likely to give further push to this industry.
The biennial summit serves as a platform for businesses and governments to explore investment opportunities and establish partnerships.
“Gujarat has the longest coastline of about 1,600 km. It is at the forefront of fish production. Today, Gujarat is exporting fish worth more than Rs 5,000 crore, taking the state’s contribution to 17 per cent of India’s total fish exports,” Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said at an event organised here recently.
From fishing operations to processing, the industry plays a crucial role in generating employment and contributing to the state’s economy, officials and fishing community members said.
As per the data provided by the state government in July this year, the provisional marine fish production in 2022-23 is likely to be 6,97,151 metric tonnes and the inland fish production at 2,07,078 metric tonnes.
The government said it has undertaken several initiatives to promote the fisheries sector, such as reduction in the VAT rate on diesel, subsidy on kerosene and petrol, improving infrastructure of small fishing ports, and construction of four new fish harbours at Madhwad, Navabandar, Veraval-II and Sutrapada.
Machine boats by far outstrip the traditional boats, with the former being 28,355 in number compared to 8,625 traditional ones, as per the data provided by the state government.