The Fisheries Department is looking forward to expanding the number of farms for brackish water shrimp aquaculture by rolling out a subsidy scheme under Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) launched in 2020.
There are about 900 brackish water shrimp farms in Nagapattinam-Mayiladuthurai belt. Area-wise, the cumulative spread of the shrimp farms will exceed 5,000 hectares, official sources said.
A district-level committee will approve applications after factoring in the views of Agriculture, Forest and other departments related to environment.
A flagship scheme for focused and sustainable development of fisheries sector in the country, the Fisheries Department has been publicising the PMMSY scheme among inland fishers in the district. The States have been given necessary impetus through sanction of proposals for leveraging innovative technologies.
Studies indicate that the last few decades have witnessed significant growth in brackish water shrimp aquaculture; production of farmed shrimp has risen from 20 MT in 1970 to 7.47 lakh MT in 2020 at the national level, thereby contributing to a major export share of ₹46,662 crore.
The studies state that only 13% of the brackish/saline area has been utilised. Saline water aquaculture is being promoted to transform ‘wasteland into wetlands’, according to Fisheries officials.
