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From catch to commerce: Empowering India’s fishermen as fish-preneurs
- India's fisheries economy remains primarily in subsistence mode with income stagnation and volatility as persistent challenges.
- Contrastingly, interventions like Startup India and Mudra loans have boosted innovation in other sectors, leaving fisheries lacking.
- Transformation of fishermen into 'fish-preneurs' could start with the formation of Fish FPOs.
- Educating fish-preneurs about value addition, sustainability, and digital advancements is crucial for scalability.
- A unified digital platform for fishermen for training, accessing schemes, market information, and digital payments could enhance efficiency.
- Processing raw fish into value-added products like fishmeal or local delicacies can improve income.
- Technology such as blockchain-based traceability can increase market opportunities for fish farmers.
- Establishing cold chains, processing units, and transportation facilities can enhance the economics of fishing.
- More subsidies, incentives, and a Blue Entrepreneurship Credit Guarantee Scheme are needed to support fish farmers.
- Existing schemes like Agriculture Infrastructure Fund and PLI schemes should be maximized through awareness and adoption promotion.
- The government should align various schemes to ensure integrated development of the fish and aquaculture economy.
- It's time to empower fishermen as entrepreneurs, traders, and innovators through credit, skilling, aggregation, and technology.
- Further emphasis should be placed on shifting focus from survival to prosperity in the fisheries sector.
- Published on June 14, 2025.
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