Fish seed production increases in Assam

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Assam has been maintaining an increase in fish seed production since 2016-17, and so has fish production. Yet the state has to import around 25,000 MT of fish yearly from the rest of India, mainly from Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. According to official statistics, the state produced 67,580 lakh fish fries in 2016-17; it increased to 80,000 lakh fish fries in 2017-18; rose to 98,930 lakh fish fries in 2018-19; slightly came down to 95,190 lakh fish fries in 2019-20; increased to 98,860 lakh fish fries in 2020-21; and again increased to 1,82,190 lakh fish fries in 2021-22.

When computed percentage-wise, the average contributions of Assam to fish seed production at the national level were 20.50 percent in 2018-19, 18.24 percent in 2019-20, and 18.28 percent in 2021-22. The fall in the percentage of Assam's contribution to fish seed production at the national level after 2018-19 was due to increased production of fish seeds in a few other states in the rest of India.

The increase in the production of fish seeds in the state is quite in sync with the increase in the production of fish. According to sources in the State Fishery Department, fish production in Assam was 2.94 lakh MT in 2015-16, 3.27 lakh MT in 2017-18, 3.31 lakh MT in 2018-19, 3.73 lakh MT in 2019-20, 3.93 lakh MT in 2020-21, 4.17 lakh MT in 2021-22, and 4.43 lakh MT in 2022-23. According to official sources, the Fishery Department attributes the gradual increase in fish production in the state to increased farming production among fisheries and fish farmers, an increased number of people venturing into fisheries, increased fish farming areas in the state, the quality of fish seeds in the state, etc.

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