Parshottam Rupala, to Join Sagar Parikrama Phase-XI Event in Odisha from 7th to 9th January 2024

Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Shri Parshottam Rupala along with MoS Dr. L Murugan will participate in the Sagar Parikrama Phase- XI event being organized during 7^th to 9^th January 2024 at various locations of Odisha. Union Minister will felicitate the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) beneficiaries like the progressive fishermen, particularly coastal fishermen and fish farmers, young fisheries entrepreneurs etc during the event. Best practices and initiatives taken through Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) scheme, KCC, and other schemes will be widely disseminated to fishermen.

Sagar Parikrama Phase-XI will cover the coastal districts of Odisha namely Ganjam, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore district. Senior officials from Department of Fisheries, Government of India, Government of Odisha, National Fisheries Development Board, Indian Coast Guard, Fishery Survey of India, fishermen association and other dignitaries will also be present on the occasion.

The Sagar Parikrama Yatra features the review meetings and interactions with fishermen, fish farmers and other relevant stakeholders. Campaigns on KCC and other activities will be conducted across the coastal districts of Odisha. State fisheries officials, fishermen representatives, fish-farmers, entrepreneurs, fishermen cooperative society leaders, professionals, scientists, and other stakeholders from across the nation will also accompany the events.

Odisha state is blessed with potential and diversified water resources with 480 kms of coastline, 24,000 km² of continental shelf area, 0.017 million Km² of Exclusive Economic Zone, 33 seafood processing plants, 57 ice plants and 3 fish & shrimp feed mills. The aquatic biodiversity and fish wealth of Odisha sustain more than 16 lakh fisher folk and supports numerous additional activities including commercial fishing, aquaculture etc.

The journey of first phase of “Sagar Parikrama” started from Mandvi, Gujarat on 5^th March 2022 and so far, the total ten phases of Sagar Parikrama have been covered in the coastal States/UTs of Gujarat, Daman & Diu, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Andaman & Nicobar, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry.

Sagar Parikrama improves people’s quality of life and economic well-being by recognising their difficulties, and it provides an excellent opportunity for fisherman to meet with government authorities right on their doorstep. Sagar Parikrama will continuously support in resolving the issues of fishermen, fish farmers and facilitate their economic upliftment through various fisheries schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), Kisan Credit Card (KCC) and other program implemented by Government of India.

Fisheries sector is considered as a sunrise sector and has immense potential for bringing equitable and inclusive growth by economic empowerment of the weaker section of the society. With 8% share in global fish production, India is the 3^rd largest fish producer, 2^nd largest aquaculture producer, largest shrimp producer and 4^th largest top seafood exporter in the world.

Sagar Parikrama aims to facilitate interaction with fishermen, coastal communities, and stakeholders to disseminate information on various fisheries related schemes and programs being implemented by the Government and to also understand the issues faced by fisher folks.