Indian fish production up by 30% in five years, Govt tells Lok Sabha
Fish production in India has seen nearly 30 per cent growth in the five-year period between 2019-20 and 2023-24.
In a written reply in Lok Sabha on Tuesday, SP Singh Bhagel, Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, said India’s fisheries sector is experiencing a significant growth, achieving a record production of 184.02 lakh tonnes (lt) in 2023-24 and contributing approximately 8 per cent to global fish production. India’s fish production was at 141.64 lt in 2019-20.
During last 10 years, the government has stepped up investments in fisheries and aquaculture sector with a cumulative investment to the tune of ₹38,572 crore through various programmes and initiatives, he said.
The concerted efforts of the governments through the reforms, policies and schemes, and efforts of fishers, fish farmers and other stakeholders have contributed significantly in overall growth of the fisheries and aquaculture, he said.
Fisheries export from India increased from ₹46,662.85 crore in 2019-20 to ₹60,524.89 crore in 2023-24. There was an increase in per capita fish consumption from 5-6 kg in 2019-20 to 12-13 kg in 2023-24, aquaculture productivity increased from 3 tonne per hectare to 4.7 tonne per hectare during the period.
Dairy
On Indian dairy sector, he said there were 243 milk unions in the country, as of March 2025. These unions are procuring about 620 lakh kg of milk per day through a network of about 2.11 lakh organised dairy co-operative societies in India. About 1.7 crore farmers are associated with the dairy co-operative network in the country, most of whom are small and marginal farmers and landless labours, he said.
To a separate question on milk production in the country, he cited the Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics 2024, and said India produced 239.30 million tonnes (mt) of milk in 2024. The percentage of cows and buffaloes’ milk in total production was 53.12 per cent and 43.62 per cent, respectively, in 2024.
Natural rubber
On the import of natural rubber in the last three years, Jitin Prasada, Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, said in a written reply that India imported 5.5 lt of natural rubber in 2024-25 against 4.92 lt in 2023-24. India imported 5.28 lt of natural rubber in 2022-23.
He said the average price of natural rubber (RSS 4 grade) was ₹199.85 per kg in Kottayam of Kerala during 2024-25 as compared to an average price of ₹155.72 per kg during 2023-24, which is an increase of 28.33 per cent.
Bt cotton
To a query on the cultivation of Bt cotton in the country, Ramnath Thakur, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, said in written reply that Bt cotton is the only Genetically Modified (GM) crop approved in 2002 by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for commercial cultivation in the country.
Asked whether there are reports of declining Bt cotton productivity in the country due to a newly emerging disease and Tobacco Streak Virus (TSV), he said a few incidences of TSV were reported in some cotton growing regions. However, there is no significant yield loss reported.
He said the yield of cotton for was 443 kg per hectare for 2022-23, 436 kg per hectare for 2023-24 and, 465 kg per hectare (third advance estimate) in 2024-25.
Asked if there is demand for legal use of HTBt for commercial cultivation as demanded by cotton growers during a crop-specific meeting on cotton, Thakur said seed industry associations and some farmers are demanding for release of HTBt cotton. Developer of HTBt cotton namely Bollgard II Roundup Ready Flex (BG-II RRF) has submitted the proposal to Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee for environmental release of HTBt cotton, he added.
Published on August 12, 2025
