The Hindu Business Line : Non-veg ethos gags Gujarat's fish industry

IT has the longest coastline in India at 1,600 km, way ahead of Tamil Nadu, which stretches only up to 1,076 km. The area that falls under the label of continental shelf in this region at 164 sq km is more than that in the entire East coast, which stands at 153 sq km. Yet when it comes to show time, Gujarat tries to hide itself as a leading seafood producer in the country.

In recent times, Gujarat has not exactly been having a smooth ride, with one disaster following the other and the State's credibility as an industrial powerhouse lies in tatters. With the agricultural front too taking a beating with constant droughts and other irritants, the State has been hard-pressed to defend its reputation as one of the high performers in the country.

Therefore, it is somewhat confusing as to why the State Government has not been tom-tomming its commendable performance as a stalwart in the marine food industry even as it goes about staking it claim as a port sector giant in India.

The industry pundits point to the basic non-vegetarian ethos of the State for this standoffishness. Though some of the Gujarat Fisheries Department authorities agree, they are reluctant to go on record with these observations. Unpalatable it may be for the establishment that oversees the business, but the State's sea food industry, with its hub in Veravel in Saurashtra, accounted for upwards of one quarter of the country's total produce with 6,50,828 tonnes in 2001-02, very close to its all time high catch of 6,70,951 tonnes in 1999-00. On the revenue front, the last fiscal recorded the highest ever catch for Gujarat with returns to the tune of Rs 1,421.27 crore. It was also a record catch in terms of realisation at Rs 21.63 per kg.

Significantly, the record returns came even as there was major dent on the export front last fiscal with the State taking a beating at Rs 521.13 crore, down almost 20 per cent from Rs 615.65 crore in the previous year. There was a corresponding fall in volumes as well with 1,24,159 tonnes that was exported in 2000-01 compared to last year's 1,04,485 tonnes. Reflecting a trend that it has set in the volume front as percentage of the country's total produce, Gujarat's exports too accounted for about a quarter of the Indian marine food exports worth 4,24,470 tonnes. Reflecting its apathy to this sector, the State Government spent just about Rs 18.47 crore during the Ninth Plan period for marine fisheries, falling way short of the Plan outlay of Rs 44.51 crore. Given the low-key nature in which the State authorities run the Fisheries Department at a time when almost every other department is in a makeover mode with the echoing computerisation mantra, the writing on the wall is not too promising for the seafood industry.

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