Puducherry in Southern India plans to transform its marine fisheries sector by helping traditional fishers move up the value chain and become export-oriented entrepreneurs, according to Chief Minister N Rangasamy.
Speaking at the closing session of a two-day international workshop on the marine fisheries value chain in the Bay of Bengal, Rangasamy said central and state government schemes would play a key role in reshaping the sector. Initiatives such as the Integrated Port Development Scheme and a proposed fisheries processing cluster are expected to support value addition, processing and export growth.
“These schemes will transform the fishermen’s business model from merely catching and selling fish to becoming entrepreneurs and global export players,” the Chief Minister said, adding that Puducherry’s fish has strong domestic and international market potential.
The workshop was jointly organised by Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organisation and the Government of Puducherry, in association with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute and the National Fisheries Development Board.
As part of the event, a detailed roadmap to unlock Puducherry’s blue economy potential was presented to the Chief Minister by P. Krishnan, Director of BOBP-IGO. The roadmap highlighted Puducherry’s strong production performance, including per-trip yields more than double the national average, but warned that around 43% of the catch currently leaves the Union Territory without value addition.
Key challenges identified include weak cold-chain infrastructure, high ice costs, subsidy gaps and welfare shortfalls. The roadmap also emphasised strengthening women’s participation in fisheries and supporting fisher-led cooperative models.
Puducherry Fisheries Minister K Lakshminarayanan said the initiative could help local fishers compete more effectively in domestic and international seafood markets.
