Union Minister Parshottam Rupala launched 3 national flagship programmes at ICAR-CIBA, Chennai

Parshotam Rupala, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying inaugurated and launched three national flagship programmes at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)- Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture(CIBA)  campus, Raja Annamalaipuram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

• The 3 flagship programmes were, the launch of the National Surveillance Programme for Aquatic Animal Diseases(NSPAAD) Phase II and Genetic Improvement Programme of Penaeus Indicus (Indian White Shrimp) (GIPPI), and laying the foundation stone for Indian White Shrimp Breeding and Improvement Facility at ICAR-CIBA campus.
• He also launched aquaculture insurance products brought out by CIBA during the event.

Note: NSPAAD Phase II and GIPPI are important for the development and sustainability of the aquaculture sector which eventually lead to the Blue Revolution in India.

Key People:

Dr. L. Murugan, Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Jatindra Nath Swain IAS, Secretary, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying(MoFAHD), Karthik IAS, Principal Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying, Fisheries and Fishermen welfare, the government of Tamil Nadu along with other dignitaries were present during the event.

Note – Recently, the import duty on the fish feed ingredients has been reduced from 15% to 5% and the Kisan Credit Card facility has been extended to fishers and fish farmers to facilitate easy access to institutional credit.

Phase II – NSPAAD: 

i.The Phase II of the NSPAAD under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana programme, which was launched by Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India would provide impetus to the industry.

ii.For the implementation of this programme, Rs 33.80 Crore has been allocated for a period of 3 years.

iii.The phase-II will be implemented across India, and all the State Fisheries Departments along with Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) are expected to play a major role in this nationally important surveillance programme.

iv.The surveillance programme will help the farmers to identify and report the disease and also offer solutions.

v.A separate application has been developed for the timely reporting of fish diseases.

Background: 

The Government of India has been implementing the NSPAAD since 2013 focusing on strengthening a farmer-based disease surveillance system so that disease cases are reported at once, investigated and scientific support is provided to the farmers.

Key Points: 

i.India is the third largest fish-producing country with a fish production of 14.73 million metric tonnes and one of the largest exporters of farmed shrimps around 7 lakh tonnes.

ii.Annually, India loses around 7200 crores due to diseases, this highlights the importance of early detection and management of the spread of diseases in controlling diseases.

About GIPPI: 

The Department of Fisheries has sanctioned the Genetic improvement program of Penaeus indicus (Indian white shrimp)-Phase-I with a total outlay of Rs 25 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) scheme to establish National Genetic Improvement Facility.

Key Points: 

i.The farmed shrimp alone contributes about 70% of India’s seafood exports worth Rs. 42000 crores and this sector depends on one exotic Specific Pathogen Free stock of Pacific white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) species.

iiTo break the dependence on the single species and promote indigenous species and exotic shrimp species, ICAR-CIBA has taken up the genetic improvement of programme of Indian white shrimp, P. indicus as a national priority under the Make in India flagship program.

iii.CIBA has optimised the breeding protocols and demonstrated culture potential across different geographic locations in coastal states using the indigenous feed, Indicus Plus (35% protein).

Aquaculture insurance products: 

i.ICAR-CIBA developed a Shrimp Crop Insurance product with the support of Alliance Insurance brokers which was filed with the IRDAI by Oriental Insurance Company Limited, New Delhi in October 2022.

ii.The product charges a differential premium based on location and requirements of the individual farmer from 3.7 to 7.7 % of input costs

iii.Under these insurance products, the farmer will be compensated to the tune of 80 % loss of input cost in the event of total crop loss. i.e., more than 70% crop loss.

Background: 

i.CIBA estimated Rs 1000 to Rs 1500 crores as the business potential of shrimp crop insurance per year and a microcredit requirement of over Rs 8,000 to 10,000 crores per annum, which is now being serviced by informal creditors at higher interest rates.

ii.This highlighted the importance to establish farmers’ access to insurance and institutional credit, facilitated by an insurance scheme that will help them double their income in a much shorter time frame.

Recent Related News: 

On September 10, 2022, Union Minister, Parshottam Rupala, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying (MoFAHD), attended the 2nd anniversary of the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), which is implemented by the Department of Fisheries (DoF), MoFAHD.

• The event held in New Delhi, Delhi, showcased the progress and future action plans of the PMMSY flagship programme.

About Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying (MoFAHD):

Union Minister – Parshottam Rupala (Rajya Sabha – Gujarat)
Minister of State (MoS) – Sanjeev Kumar Balyan; L. Murugan