Mangaluru : Minister of State for Fisheries Pramod Madhwaraj Inaugurated the Aqua Aquaria India 2017 organised by the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), a nodal agency of the union ministry of commerce and industry at Neharu Maidan Mangaluru

Inaugurating the Aqua Aquaria India 2017, the largest show in Asia on aquaculture and ornamental fish culture here, Mr. Madhwaraj said the State government shall offer all facilities and assistance to MPEDA in its endeavour to develop the sector in Karnataka.

He urged the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) to concentrate on States such as Karnataka where aquaculture has not developed much.

He complimented MPEDA for holding the show in Mangaluru, saying that for the first time the event was being organised on the West Coast, while earlier four editions were held on the East Coast. Mr. Madhwaraj noted that aquaculture had witnessed tremendous development on the East Coast, compared to the West, and urged MPEDA to concentrate on the West Coast too.

Karnataka has enormous potential for marine as well as inland aquaculture with 27,000 sq km of continental shelf, 323 km of coastline, 5.65 lakh ha of inland water resources, he said. The huge potential has to be harnessed and exploited for the benefit of fishermen and farmers in the State, the Minister said. The available brackish water area of 8,000 ha provides good scope for shrimp/ fish culture.

Mr. Madhwaraj said the export oriented aquaculture in India has been synonymous with shrimp aquaculture. Commercial shrimp aquaculture that began its growth in 90s peaked during 2005-06 with 1.85 lakh tone production. However, the production decreased subsequently and again picked up after 2009, Mr. Madhwaraj said, adding that the production reached 4.06 lakh tonnes during 2015-16.

The Minister said the technology for ornamental fish farming too is well standardised in the domestic market and the need of the hour is to develop export market for the aquarium fishes. The global ornamental fish industry is estimated worth around $ 18-20 billion, Mr. Madhwaraj said and urged those in the aquarium business to make use of the opportunity.

Mangaluru MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, MP from Andhra Pradesh and MPEDA member K. Haribabu, MLA J.R. Lobo and others were present.

The show would be on till May 16 at Nehru Maidan in the city. It showcases various production and harvest technologies, machinery and accessories in export oriented aquaculture. Over 250 stalls have been set up for the purpose.