Contribution of Aquaculture in The Food Security of India
Aquaculture can add to the food security because fish makes an excellent food, rich in 3-omega fat and several other vitamins and minerals.
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There are two issues:-food security and fish production through aquaculture. In real terms food security means food is available at all times, all person has access to it, it is nutritionally adequate in terms of quality, quantity and variety. When all these conditions are present, a population is considered to be food secure.
Aquaculture includes farming of fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants. Aquaculture plays an important role in the economy of a country. Aquaculture helps in employment opportunity, foreign exchange, biological control of parasites, resources utilization, increasing fish productivity per capita consumption. Fisheries form an important part of livelihood. Fish as food is of excellent nutritive value and it makes a very significant contribution to the diet of many fish consuming persons in both the developed and developing countries. Fish contain lot of minerals, vitamins, proteins which are easily digestible and tasty. Omega-3 fat is found in oil-rich fish and some plants oils. Oil-rich fish include salmon, trout, mackerel, sardines and herring. Fresh, frozen or canned fish can be eaten after proper cooking.
Total aquaculture production in India is 6.869 million tones. Contribution of aquaculture in India at GDP level is 5% and in agriculture is 1.5%. India ranks 3rd in the global fish production. Haryana ranks 2nd in the country in per ha fish production. Indian aquatic resources are marine, fresh and brackish water. The 29,000 km of riverine resources comprises of 14 major rivers and 44 medium rivers. Ganga, Brahamputra, Indus, East coast and West coast river system are main riverine resources in India. Important cold water fish species are snow trout, mahseer, exotic trouts. Total reservoir area in India is 3.15 million ha. Tamil Nadu has highest area of small reservoirs. India’s seafood industry is one of the biggest foreign exchange earners. Crab exports currently bring in more than US$ 1 million. Carps contribute more than 80% of the total aquaculture production of the country. Indian major carps and exotic carps come under carp culture. Some integrated fish farming like agri-fish system and livestock-fish system are also in operation.
For increasing fish production in India, some future strategies needed for this purpose include:- i) to set up adequate seed hatcheries and farms, ii) eradication of disease, pest and predator, iii) diversification of aquaculture, iv) pond fertilization using organic and inorganic fertilizers, and v) diversification in heath management practices.
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