India should develop fishing boats that can operate on methanol, ethanol, and electricity.
“The blue economy is the future and India’s blue economy should reach up to 60 lakh crores”, said Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister Road Transport and Highways in a conference on ‘Development of fisheries in Vidarbha region’ organised at the 13th Agrovision annual agricultural exhibition in Nagpur. Atul Patane, Secretory of Fisheries Department of Maharashtra, Dr Ashish Paturkar, Vice-chancellor Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences University, Sunil Mendhe, Member of Parliament, President of Agro Vision Foundation, Organising Secretary of Agrovision and Publisher of AgroSpectrum Ravi Boratkar, Dr C.D. Mayee, Chairman, Advisory committee and other delegates were present for this conference.
Gadkari emphasised the policy regarding ethanol and methanol-fuelled and electric fishing boats. India should develop fishing boats that can operate on methanol, ethanol and electricity. The use of these boats can help in reducing expenses and pollution. Like food-producing companies fish producing companies must be established in Vidarbha. The fishing economy of Vidarbha should grow wealthy and increase up to 50,000 crores rupees said Gadkari. He also gave instructions to the fisheries department to develop an aquarium of the international level in Nagpur.
Secretory of the Fisheries Department of Maharashtra, Atul Patane said, “Fish tank management and commercial aquarium courses should start in Maharashtra which is having huge job potential. Fish farming in Vidarbha has a large potential. If the Government of Maharashtra creates basic infrastructure for fish farming in Vidarbha, it will grow at a large scale”.
Dr Ashish Paturkar, Vice-chancellor Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences University said that like the marine water fishing act, the government must make a freshwater fishing act. Due to the lack of the freshwater fishing act lot of farmers are farming the banned fish which causes environmental harm. Maharashtra also should get processing and cold storage units for fisheries.
