The Department of Fisheries, Government of India is organizing a Review Meeting on Development of Fisheries and Aquaculture in West Bengal on 21^st September 2026 in Kolkata, West Bengal co-chaired by Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Hon’ble Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying and Panchayati Raj and Shri Suvendu Adhikari, Hon'ble Chief Minister, West Bengal. After more than a decade, an apex level fisheries review meeting is being organized to chalk out roadmap for tapping the huge fisheries potential of West Bengal.

The review meeting will be held in the gracious presence of Shri Rajesh Mahata, Hon'ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) Department of Fisheries & Department of Animal Resources Development, Government of West Bengal. The meeting will also witnessed participation from officials from Department of Fisheries, GoI, West Bengal state fisheries department, National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), ICAR institutes, National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR), CIFE, National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD),National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), Coastal Aquaculture Authority (CAA),Export Inspection Council (EIC) and Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPED).

The meeting will provide a comprehensive platform to review the progress of various schemes and programs in West Bengal and deliberate on key focus areas for its future development. Presentations by the Department of Fisheries, Government of India and the Government of West Bengal and interactions with leading fisheries research, regulatory and financial institutions, will facilitate discussions on production enhancement, aquaculture expansion, technology adoption, infrastructure development, institutional support and investment promotion followed by the handing over of the Administrative Approval for Integrated Reservoir Development in West Bengal. The deliberations are expected to help identify priority interventions and strengthen Centre-State collaboration for accelerating sustainable and inclusive growth of the fisheries sector in West Bengal.

West Bengal possesses vast fisheries resources contributing to 25.43 Lakh ton of fish production in 2025-26. This was made possible by an investment of Rs 617 Crore made under various schemes strengthening production technologies, Post harvest infrastructure, processing and capacity building providing livelihood opportunities to more than 30 lakh fisher folks and developing a robust fisheries ecosystem supported by value chain and market access. Given this strong base, the State has the absorptive capacity to deploy additional funding and scale up ongoing initiatives toward realising its full potential in the sector. The government of India has also notified 34 fisheries production and processing clusters including dry fish cluster in Purba Mednipur, West Bengal. Department of Fisheries, Government of India is giving special thrust to strengthening fisheries farmer producer organisations (FFPO) and fisheries cooperatives while also focusing on digitisation of the fisheries sector through various initiatives. As an international border state, West Bengal also carries inherent security sensitivities, with a continued presence of customs and other security agencies safeguarding the region.

The review meeting is expected to provide direction for accelerating the growth of the fisheries and aquaculture sector in West Bengal through enhanced convergence between the Central and State Governments and key stakeholder institutions. The deliberations are expected to facilitate the identification of priority areas for intervention, strengthen the implementation of flagship fisheries schemes and programmes, promote technology-led and sustainable development, and enhance investments across the fisheries value chain. The meeting is also expected to contribute towards improving fisher livelihoods, increasing fish production and productivity, strengthening market linkages, and advancing the vision of a resilient, inclusive and globally competitive fisheries sector in the State.

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JP