Nitesh Rane: Maharashtra to adopt Andhra Pradesh fisheries practices to raise fishers' incomes

Fisheries Minister Nitesh Rane has said that useful experiments from Andhra Pradesh will be implemented effectively in Maharashtra. The aim is to bring modern technology into every stage, from fish production to processing, marketing and exports. This will raise the incomes of fishers and fish farmers and build a capable, sustainable and globally competitive fisheries system in the state, Rane said.

During a two-day study tour of Andhra Pradesh, Rane visited the headquarters of the state's Fisheries Commissionerate. He closely examined the development model for the fisheries and aquaculture sector. Modern technology, higher productivity, the welfare of fishers and an integrated fisheries value chain were reviewed.

At a meeting of the Fisheries Commissionerate, Rane was briefed on measures under way to raise the productivity of marine and inland fisheries and aquaculture. These include the AI-based "Aquaculture 4.0", monitoring of fish health and disease, real-time water quality testing, smart feeding and analysis of fish behaviour. RAS and biofloc systems, IoT-based aquaculture, digital traceability, pond registration, species diversification, boat tracking and monitoring of fish catch were also reviewed.

Rane also visited the regional research and analysis laboratory of Ananda Advanced Aqua Lab at Kovvada in Andhra Pradesh. There he learnt about disease diagnosis in aquaculture, water and soil quality testing, monitoring of shrimp health and the scientific management of fish farming. He held detailed discussions with the laboratory's experts.

The discussions covered key issues such as disease diagnosis, microbiology-based analysis, various water quality parameters, biosecurity and timely identification of potential threats. It was also explained how timely laboratory testing and guidance based on scientific information can help fish farmers improve the survival rate of shrimp and fish, avoid production losses and improve productivity.

Rane also saw seaweed cultivation, artificial coral reefs, open-sea cage culture, climate-resilient coastal fishing villages and the scientific use of inland water sources. He was also briefed on a model of an integrated value chain linking hatcheries, fish feed, laboratories, fish farming, the processing industry, cold storage, the domestic market and exports. Andhra Pradesh has emphasised raising productivity and income at all stages, from fish production to processing, marketing and exports, through technology and data-based management.

The experience from this study will help make the technical guidance service for Maharashtra's fish farmers more capable, expand disease diagnosis and testing facilities, and make the scientific management of fisheries more effective. Follow-up action will be taken to implement the useful findings of the study, so as to use Maharashtra's coastal areas and inland water sources more scientifically and productively and create more value for fishers, fish farmers and coastal communities.

Present on the occasion were Ananda Group chairman U. K. Viswanatha Raju; N. Ramaswamy, secretary of the Maharashtra government's Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries Department; Bhanudas Palve, Maharashtra's fisheries commissioner; Prakash Khaple, managing director of the Maharashtra Fisheries Development Corporation; fisheries expert Manoj Sharma; and additional commissioners Mahesh Deore and Nagnath Bhadule. Several senior officials of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, including Andhra Pradesh fisheries commissioner Rama Naik and additional director Dr Shankar Rao, were also present.