<p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">The Department of Fisheries, Government of Madhya Pradesh, working with the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and the National Fisheries Development Board, convened the Fisheries Investors &amp; Exporters Conclave 2026 in Bhopal on 23 October 2026, bringing together investors, exporters, fish farmers, cooperatives, Fish Farmer Producer Organisations, processors, financial institutions, and research organisations to strengthen investment, processing, value addition, and export opportunities in inland fisheries .</span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">The event was attended by Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Minister of State Prof. S. P. Singh Baghel, and Madhya Pradesh Minister Narayan Singh Panwar, alongside Secretary Dr. Abhilaksh Likhi and Chief Secretary Ashok Barnwal. More than 1,000 fish farmers from across Madhya Pradesh participated, reflecting the scale of the state's inland fisheries base .</span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">The macro context is significant. India's fish production reached 197.75 lakh metric tonnes in 2024–25, of which inland fisheries contributed 151.60 lakh tonnes — nearly three-fourths of the national total. Seafood exports were valued at ₹73,890 crore in 2025–26. Yet inland states contribute only 2% of total fisheries exports, despite a 147% increase in fish production in these states. The conclave was explicitly designed to close that gap by connecting production to processing, cold-chain infrastructure, quality assurance, market access, and exports .</span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">Two key documents were released at the conclave. The Madhya Pradesh Fisheries Investment and Export Guidelines, 2026 aim to facilitate investment across hatcheries, fish seed and feed, reservoir and cage fisheries, aquatic animal health, processing, cold-chain infrastructure, logistics, value addition, and market development. The Standard Operating Procedures for Inland State Export Potential, issued by the Department of Fisheries, Government of India, provide guidance across the value chain from fish seed stocking to export requirements. Madhya Pradesh has also been notified by the Central Government as a Reservoir Fisheries Cluster .</span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">Under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, administrative approval was handed over for the Integrated Development of Reservoirs in Madhya Pradesh under the Union Budget Announcement 2026–27, envisaging development of 49 reservoirs at an approved project cost of ₹8,755.60 lakh and five Amrit Sarovars at ₹69 lakh. Integrated cage culture units were virtually inaugurated, and certificates were distributed to beneficiaries under the Kisan Credit Card for fisheries, fisheries cooperatives, start-ups, and the Performance Grant under PM-MKSSY .</span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh framed the challenge in export terms. India exports fish to 130 countries, but inland states contribute only 2% of total fisheries exports. He called for developing reservoirs through scientific cage and pen culture, improving productivity, and connecting fish farmers with investors, processors, and exporters. He highlighted traceability as essential for export competitiveness, referring to the National Framework for Aquaculture Traceability 2025 and the National Fisheries Digital Platform, and noted that MPEDA would support inland-state exporters with market intelligence. He outlined five priorities: identifying export-suitable freshwater species and target markets; developing collection centres and large-scale processing hubs; strengthening farmer-cooperative-investor-exporter partnerships; ensuring quality certification and traceability; and maintaining continuous engagement with international buyers .</span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">Dr. Abhilaksh Likhi, Secretary of the Department of Fisheries, provided the most concrete target. Freshwater species such as Pangasius and Tilapia currently account for only 2% of seafood exports, with an aim to increase their share to 10% over the next five years. A cluster-based approach under PMMSY will support training, value addition, packaging, branding, and export logistics for inland fish and seafood. Chief Secretary Ashok Barnwal outlined the state's plan to increase fish production from 4.5 lakh tonnes to 10–11 lakh tonnes over two to three years, generating an estimated ₹5,000 crore in additional annual income and benefiting at least 50,000 people .</span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">The conclave's significance lies in its attempt to convert a production story into a value-chain and export story. Madhya Pradesh has 4.50 lakh hectares of inland water area, including 3.75 lakh hectares of reservoirs, and fish production has grown from 2.00 lakh MT in 2019–20 to 4.45 lakh MT in 2024–25 — a 123% increase. But production alone does not generate export earnings. Cold-chain connectivity, quality standards, certification, logistics, and market access determine whether inland fish reaches international buyers. The guidelines, SOPs, and policy initiatives released at the conclave are designed to build those links.</span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">Looking ahead, the initiative will be judged by whether inland states move from 2% to a materially higher share of India's seafood exports. The target of 10% over five years is ambitious but measurable. Success will depend on investment materialising in processing and cold-chain infrastructure, traceability systems being adopted at the farm level, and exporters in inland states gaining access to international buyers. The conclave has created the policy framework and signalled political commitment; the harder work of implementation, and of proving that inland fisheries can compete in export markets, now begins.</span></p>