BY TC News Desk
Agartala, 8th November 2024: Fisheries Minister Sudhangshu Das on Friday said that the fisheries sector in the state has faced losses worth Rs 1,350 crore due to flooding and informed that he has submitted a report on the losses to the Centre, which has assured that it will address the issue soon after examining it.
Minister Das made this statement during a state-level review meeting of the Fisheries Department held today. He noted that this is the second state-level review meeting of the year.
“The main aim of this meeting is to review the fisheries department’s targets at the district and sub-division levels, to assess progress, and to identify any issues. In August, fish farmers faced severe difficulties due to the flooding. The state government has undertaken many steps for their benefit and welfare, which were also discussed in the meeting. We emphasized ways to increase fish production in the state and to provide employment for the youth. We are working to meet the demand for fish in the state. Although it is a challenging task, and this year we faced additional difficulties due to the floods, we are making progress,” he said.
Minister Das mentioned that the annual fish demand in Tripura is 1,16,000 MT, while the state’s own production stands at 83,000 MT, with the remainder sourced from Odisha, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, and occasionally from Bangladesh.
“However, exports from Bangladesh are currently affected. Following the flood, we have an estimated loss of Rs 1,350 crore. We received a fund of Rs 10 crore to support some of the fish farmers who suffered losses. In addition, we have submitted our estimated losses to both the state and the Centre. They have assured us that they will assist us after reviewing all the information,” he added.
