Rajiv Ranjan Singh at Idea Exchange: ‘Despite US tariffs, our fish export has increased… now exporting to the UK, Japan, China, Thailand and EU’

Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, shared updates on the sector's growth and export efforts. After taking office in 2019, the ministry focused on transforming fisheries and dairy industries, establishing a new ministry in 2014. Through schemes like Blue Revolution and PMMSY, investment of over Rs 39,000 crore led to a 115% increase in production to 197.75 lakh tonnes in 2024-25.

Inland fisheries grew by 147%, and Bihar went from relying on Andhra Pradesh for its fish supply to becoming self-reliant with production increasing 11-fold to about 10.89 lakh tonnes. Despite the US imposing tariffs on Indian goods, exports surged to Rs 62,408 crore in 2024-25, an increase of Rs 11,400 crore. New markets include the UK, Japan, China, Thailand, and EU countries.

However, marine fish catch growth has been slower than expected. To address this, infrastructure projects like in Lakshadweep and Andaman were initiated, with plans for tuna to become a major catch. The minister also addressed challenges in dairy and animal husbandry, such as dairy products being banned in four states due to foot-and-mouth disease, and the parallel production of artificial paneer.