Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s fisheries sector is headed for a major transformation, backed by over Rs 1,086 crore in central funding and a slew of new state initiatives aimed at boosting deep-sea fishing, export competitiveness and fishermen welfare.
This information was given by Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, alias Lalan Singh, in the Rajya Sabha in response to a question.
The Department of Fisheries under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying has approved projects worth Rs 1,086.51 crore for Odisha, with a central share of Rs 416.84 crore, under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY).
The scheme, running since 2020-21 with a national outlay of Rs 20,750 crore, funds infrastructure such as fishing harbours, fish landing centres and cold chain facilities across states and union territories, according to an official statement.
Among the key approvals is the modernisation of Paradip Fishing Harbour, sanctioned at a cost of Rs 108.91 crore under the Central Sector component of PMMSY.
Separately, under the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund, operational since 2018-19, the Centre has approved 13 infrastructure projects in Odisha, including fishing harbours, landing centres, processing units and fish markets, at a total project cost of Rs 784.32 crore. Of this, Rs 286.39 crore is eligible for interest subvention, with the government offering subsidy support of up to 3% on admissible project costs.
At the state level, Odisha has launched the State Deep Sea Fishing Mission (2026-2036) to promote offshore fishing, modern fishing technologies, tuna fisheries, mariculture and Blue Economy initiatives. The state government said the mission would work alongside PMMSY-backed infrastructure upgrades to reduce post-harvest losses and expand market access, covering ice plants, cold storages, insulated transport vehicles and fish kiosks.
Other measures include capacity-building programmes for fishers on deep-sea techniques, onboard handling, navigation and safety, along with the installation of transponder-based Vessel Monitoring Systems in mechanised vessels to strengthen safety and regulatory compliance. The state has also promoted Turtle Excluder Devices to support sustainable fishing practices.
Beyond infrastructure, PMMSY extends livelihood and nutritional support to socio-economically backward traditional marine fisher families from Below Poverty Line households during the annual fishing ban period. Odisha’s own Mukhyamantri Maschyajibi Kalyan Yojana provides Rs 15,000 to each eligible marine fisherman family during the turtle conservation ban from November 1 to May 31 to offset the loss of livelihood in notified ban areas.
To strengthen seafood processing and exports, the state has introduced a “Promotion of Aquaculture and Shrimp Export Cell” under the MMKY umbrella scheme, offering subsidy support of 30% (up to Rs 3.5 crore) for general category beneficiaries and 35% (up to Rs 4 crore) for SC, ST, women, transgender persons, persons with disabilities and professionally qualified beneficiaries for seafood processing machinery.
The state has also notified a separate regulatory framework for white-leg shrimp culture in inland saline waters to boost shrimp production and improve export competitiveness, in coordination with agencies such as MPEDA and NFDB.
Together, the initiatives signal a coordinated Centre-state push to position Odisha as a stronger player in India’s Blue Economy ambitions.
