Union minister launches phase 2 of national surveillance programme for aquatic animal diseases in TN

Parshottam Rupala launched phase 2 of the National Surveillance Programme for Aquatic Animal Diseases and the Genetic Improvement Programme of Penaeus indicus (Indian white prawn) in Chennai. (Twitter)

Union Minister of Fisheries and Animal Husbandry Parshottam Rupala launched phase 2 of the National Surveillance Programme for Aquatic Animal Diseases (NSPAAD) and the Genetic Improvement Programme of Penaeus indicus (Indian white prawn) in Chennai on Monday, 27 February.

In addition to these initiatives supported under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), the minister launched a mobile app, an aquaculture insurance product brought out by CIBA, and laid the foundation stone for the Genetic Improvement Facility at a function held on the premises of Indian Council of Agricultural Research – Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (ICAR-CIBA), at Raja Annamalaipuram, Chennai.

-Laid a foundation stone for the Genetic Improvement Facility at @icarciba campus, Chennai.

These programmes will enable the reduction in revenue losses of the farmers and increase income & exports.
(2/2) pic.twitter.com/OG953KECxr

— Parshottam Rupala (मोदी का परिवार) (@PRupala) February 27, 2023

The PMMSY aims at increasing fish production by an additional 70 lakh tonnes and increasing fish export earning to ₹1 lakh crore by 2024-25.

Better export quality

Rupala stated that India exports seafood to over 120 countries and is among the top 5 fish exporting countries in the world. Nearly 16 percent of the country’s agricultural exports constitute fish and fish products.

“With the assurance of the National Disease Surveillance Programme, we will be able to easily export our products to other countries because our products will be free from exotic pathogens and there will be less use of chemicals/drugs,” he said.

When fish diseases are monitored, then the use of unnecessary drugs will be reduced to a great extent and fish farmers will be able to avoid unnecessary expenditure on medicines and their net profit will also increase.

Also Read: Kadal Osai FM 90.4 keeps an island united

Helping fish farmers

“For timely reporting of fish diseases and providing scientific inputs to farmers, the Report Fish Disease app was launched today under the NSPAAD. This app helps farmers to connect directly with the district fisheries officers and scientists for technical assistance regarding fish diseases and get a solution to the problem,” Rupala said.

He said the NSPAAD will prove to be a bluestone in getting rid of the problem of diseases in fisheries.

“Our department has allotted ₹33.78 crore for a period of three years for the implementation of the second phase of the NSPAAD. I am confident that with the active participation of research institutes and state fisheries departments, this programme will be successful in overcoming the disease issues in the fish farming sector,” he said.

He thanked ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR), Lucknow, for the leadership taken in the implementation of this network project of over 30 institutions and state fisheries departments.

‘Development of native shrimp species needed’

In India, shrimp aquaculture is considered as one of the success stories of modern aquaculture. The production from shrimp aquaculture increase from about 1 lakh tonnes in 1990 to more than 9 lakh tonnes in 2022 has been quite significant.

The introduction of “vennamei” shrimp has made appreciable changes in the production scenario of brackishwater shrimp culture in India. The development of “vennamei” aquaculture, however, is not without problems, he said.

“New diseases are posing a serious threat, leading to heavy production loss. Over dependence on a single species has been found risky due to prohibitive costs of broodstock imported into our country. In this context, the development of native shrimp by select breeding is an important step for long term sustainability of this valuable industry,” the Union minister said.

Also Read: Karnataka PCB flags aquatic life degradation in Bengaluru lakes

Confidence in India

He exuded confidence that Indian scientists would work hard and come out with an improved variety of our own Indian white shrimp in the next 3-5 years.

“My ministry not only funds these important programmes under PMMSY, but is also always ready to support any such programmes that will help our fish farmers and entrepreneurs,” he added.

Union ministers L Murugan, Sanjeev Kumar Balyan, Tamil Nadu Fisheries Minister Anitha R Radhakrishnan, Union Secretary Jatindra Nath Swain, Director of ICAR-CIBA, Chennai, Kuldeep K Lal, Director of ICAR-NBFGR UK Sarkar, and other officials participated.

Also Read: Indo-German team discovers new species of catfish in Kerala