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Scale up fishing capacity in EEZ, target high-value species for export: Minister to fishermen
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....cale up fishing capacity in EEZ, target high-value species for export: Minister to fishermen<BR>Customs & Trade<BR>Dated:- 17-9-2026<BR>PTI<BR>Gandhinagar, Sep 17 (PTI) Union Fisheries Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh on Thursday urged fishermen to enhance their operations within India's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and target high-value species that fetch high price in the international market. He....
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.... said the objective behind the Centre issuing access passes and Letters of Authorization for fishing in the EEZ (spanning the area from 12 to 200 nautical miles) and the high seas, respectively, "is not merely to boost fish production, but to increase exports, raise the income of our fisherfolk, and empower them economically." Singh was addressing a national workshop on promotion of deep-sea fishi....
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....ng organised by the Centre's Department of Fisheries in Gandhinagar. Union Minister of State for Fisheries SP Singh Baghel and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel were also present on the occasion. "Now that we have access to the global market, two important tasks must be undertaken: first, we need to enhance our capacity within the EEZ to enable fishing operations there; and second, we must....
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.... target high-value fish species, such as tuna, which is among the most expensive variety in the world," Singh noted. He said in 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to create a new ministry by separating fisheries and animal husbandry from the Department of Agriculture has yielded results, with India's fish production rising to 197.75 lakh tonnes by 2024-25 from just 95.7 lakh tonnes....
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.... in 2013-14. Fish exports have more than doubled, climbing from Rs 30,213 crore to Rs 62,408 crore over the decade, he pointed out. When the US imposed a 58.26 per cent tariff on shrimp and fish coming from India, the prime minister directed the fisheries ministry to find a solution amidst the crisis, Singh stated. "He personally took the initiative to sign Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) wi....
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....th nations across the globe. We held meetings with exporters and motivated both them and our fisherfolk. Following this encouragement, when the export figures for 2025-26 came in, far from declining, our exports actually increased by Rs 11,400 crore, reaching a record high of Rs 73,890 crore," he told the gathering. Singh said the government is promoting fishing in the EEZ and on the high seas ....
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....to boost the income of fishermen. "However, the objective is not simply to catch fish in these waters solely for sale in the market. The objective is for us to catch high-value fish and supply them to the international market," he insisted. The Union minister emphasised fishermen should limit traditional fishing to the area within 12 nautical miles and organise themselves into groups, with p....
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....arties assigned to ventures into the EEZ to catch high-value fish. Unless this is done, the fishermen's income will not increase. The Centre has issued over 4,000 EEZ access permits in Gujarat, he said. "With a capacity of 4,000 permits, the goal is for you to venture into the EEZ and catch high-value fish. Fourteen Letters of Authorization have been issued, three of which are for Gujarat," ....
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....Singh informed. He maintained the government has changed rules so that fish caught in the high seas and offloaded at a foreign port are counted as export, unlike in the past when they were treated as import. Singh called for expanding infrastructure in the sector with a focus on value addition, branding, cold chain infrastructure, processing and packaging facilities, equipping high-seas fish....
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....ing vessels with built-in processing and cold chain systems. The government is providing support through the Fisheries Infrastructure Development Fund for all such activities, both for private entrepreneurs or cooperative societies, he said and asked fishermen to get trained to avail the benefits of the a wide range of schemes available to them. Notably, EEZ is an area of the ocean extending....
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.... up to 200 nautical miles (370 km) immediately offshore from a country’s coast in which that country retains exclusive rights to the exploration and exploitation of natural and marine resources. PTI KA PD RSY =============<BR> News - Press release - PIB....