To increase domestic fish consumption and promote fish protein for food & nutritional security
Union Minister of Fisheries and Animal Husbandry Parshottam Rupala has launched a unique coffee table book titled ‘Fish & Seafood -a collection of 75 gourmet recipes’. In an effort to boost the domestic consumption of fish and seafood, along with popularizing the local fish species, the Department of Fisheries under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying has come up with this initiative.
The coffee table book and its launch event are a part of the ongoing celebration of 75 glorious years of India’s Independence, under the campaign Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. The recipe book is a highlight of the diversity of fish available within the domestic water bodies and the fish culinary heritage of the country that signifies the diverse cooking and eating styles across the country.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) projections, aquaculture will be responsible for nearly two-thirds of India’s fish production by 2030. This is indicative that fisheries and aquaculture is equally important for employment, as well as a vital source of food and nutrition security, especially for the rural population.
Sagar Mehra, Joint Secretary (Inland fisheries) mentioned that the through Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) scheme, the Department has been taking various strategic initiatives to increase the domestic fish consumption from 5kg per capita to 12kg per capita, doubling the exports to Rs 1 lakh Crore and increase productivity from 3 tons per hectare to 5 tons per hectare.
image credit- pib