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Till now, we have heard of traceability of organic foods. Soon, fish-eaters will have the luxury of knowing the origin of the fish on their dining table.
The newly carved out Union Department of Fisheries will ensure information on the traceability of the fish being marketed in the country.
“We are working on an IT-based solution, which includes tools like barcoding, to track the fish at the place of origin and trace its journey till its destination,” Rajni Sekhri Sibal, Union Secretary (Fisheries), told BusinessLine .
“This will help consumers know where the fish that they bought has come from,” she said.
She was here in connection with the 23rd conference of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission.
Fisheries exports contributed ₹47,320 crore last year, with 60 per cent coming from the marine sector.
She puts the potential fisheries output at 23 million tonnes, but “we could achieve only 13 million tonnes, leaving a huge scope for improvement.”
Though the sector provides livelihood to 14.5 million fishermen, the average catch is very low at 7-8 kilograms, barely providing subsistence.
New scheme
“We are able to harness only 52 per cent of the inland fishing potential and 54 per cent of the marine potential. We need to bridge a lot of gaps, bring in new equipment and technologies to help fishermen increase productivity,” she said. The new Ministry would soon get “huge funds” as the government proposes a new scheme to develop the sector, she said.
The Ministry for Fisheries is in the process of bringing forward legislation to develop the fisheries sector.
“We are ready with the draft Bills and hope to introduce them in Parliament in this session or the next,” she said.
One of the Bills would focus on the Economic Economic Zone in the seas, and another on marine animal diseases and control.
The Ministry will also strengthen the Hyderabad-based National Fisheries Development Board.
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