According to the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) ‘The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) 2024’ report, India has joined the top fish producing countries in the world.
Status of aquaculture and fish production in India
- India is the third largest fish producing country in the world and the second largest aquaculture producing country after China.
- China ranks first in fish production and Indonesia ranks second.
- India has produced a record fish production of 175.45 lakh tonnes in the financial year 2022-23 which is 8% of the global production. • It contributes about 1.09% to the country’s Gross Value Added (GVA) and over 6.724% to the agricultural GVA. The sector supports the livelihoods of over 28 million people in the country.
SOFIA Report
- It is a flagship report of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) that analyses the status and health of global fish stocks as well as trends in fisheries and aquaculture at the global and regional levels.
- The 2024 edition highlights the solid progress made on the Blue Transformation initiative and demonstrates FAO’s role in driving transformation towards sustainable aquaculture expansion and intensification, effectively managed fisheries, and life chains that prioritise efficiency, safety and equity.
SOFIA 2024 data
Global production
- Fisheries and aquaculture production: 223.2 million tonnes
- Aquatic animals: 185.4 million tonnes
- Algae: 37.8 million tonnes
- Aquaculture production: 130.9 million tonnes
- Capture fisheries: 92.3 million tonnes
- Aquaculture production by region: Asia (70%), Europe (9%), Latin America and the Caribbean (9%), Africa (7%), North America (3%) and Oceania (1%)
- Major aquatic animal producers by country: China (36%), India (8%), Indonesia (7%), Vietnam (5%) and Peru (3%)
Consumption
- Global apparent consumption of aquatic animal foods (2021): 162.5 million tonnes
- Global apparent consumption of aquatic foods per capita (2021): 20.6 kg.
- Increase in global apparent consumption of aquatic foods per capita: from 9.1 kg in 1961 to 20.6 kg in 2021.
Employment
- People employed in primary production: 61.8 million
- Workers by sector: Fisheries (54%), Aquaculture (36%), Sector not specified (10%)
- Percentage of jobs by region: Asia (85%), Africa (10%), Latin America and the Caribbean (4%), Europe, Oceania and North America combined (1%).
Trade
- Top exporters of aquatic animal products: China, Norway, Vietnam, Ecuador, Chile
- Top importers of aquatic animal products: United States, China, Japan, Spain, France
- Value of international trade in aquatic products: USD 195 billion
Key points from SOFIA report
Increase in total production
- Global fisheries and aquaculture production shows a growth of 4.4% from 2020.
Increase in aquaculture production
- According to FAO’s SOFIA report, for the first time in the world, aquaculture production has exceeded the fish produced from traditional fisheries.
- In the year 2022, aquaculture production was unprecedented, reaching 130.9 million tonnes, of which 94.4 million tonnes were aquatic animals.
- 90% fish production in 10 countries
- According to the report, China, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Philippines, South Korea, Norway, Egypt and Chile are among the 10 countries where 90% of the world’s fish production has taken place.
Katla species included in top ten
- In the year 2022, Katla species ranked eighth in the list of top ten species in terms of fish production.
- This species was initially found in North India, Indus plains and adjacent hill rivers of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar. Later it was extended to all rivers and reservoirs across India.