BHUBANESWAR: The state government has planned to promote brackish water aquaculture to boost the the rural economy as the sector has huge potential of growth in Odisha. Recently, chief secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra chaired a meeting in this regard.
He asked revenue and disaster management, fisheries and animal resources development, forest and environment departments and Idco to work out a facilitating policy to tap the available potential of brackish water aquaculture. Idco has also been asked to develop a land bank for it. Fisheries and animal resources development secretary R Raghu Prasad said there was significant growth in the sector in the last 10 years.
The production of brackish water fish increased from 11,460 MT in 2011-12 to 97,125 MT in 2020-21. Area under brackish water aquaculture also increased from 5,860 hectare to 17,780 hectare during the same period.
