Chennai,August 2023: The recent passing of the amendment to the CAA Act 2005 by the Union Ministry of Fisheries in both the Houses of the Parliament has brought in huge relief to the investors, farmers and the public who have come forward to support the Aquaculture industry. “The Association of Indian Shrimp Hatcheries would like to thank the Hon’ble Union Minister of Fisheries Shri. Parshottam Khodabhai Rupala, Hon’ble Minister of State in the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Shri. L. Murugan, Hon’ble Minister of State in the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Balyan and Shri Masthan Rao Beeda, Member of Rajya Sabha for taking efforts to get the amendment passed in Parliament. We also thank officials in the Ministry of Fisheries, Coastal Aquaculture Authority, State Fisheries Departments, and everyone else who put in their contribution to get this amendment done,” said Mr G Calraj, President, All India Shrimp Hatcheries Association (AISHA), Tamil Nadu Region.
“With this amendment in the CAA Act 2005, we are expecting a huge productivity increase from the current 8.75 lakh tonne to nearly 20 lakh tonnes in the coming 4 to 5 years. Furthermore, we expect the direct and indirect employment to increase from the current 2 lakhs to 6 lakhs. In Tamil Nadu alone, 85 hatcheries employ close to 1 lakh people spread across 25,000 hectares producing nearly 35,000 tonnes of produce. Unfortunately, only 7,000 hectares are being utilized producing 35,000 tonnes of shrimps for domestic and international exports. We now expect this to increase to 1 lakh tonnes in the coming years upon full utilisation of land. Even our contribution to the Forex will jump from the current Rs. 40,000 crore to Rs. 1 lakh crore,” Mr Calraj pointed out.
“Though CAA has come up with support for the licensed hatcheries by giving a review petition in NGT, the court did not rule in favour of this mass employment contributing industry. So, it became crucial that the matter be resolved permanently. It was understood unless the CAA act is amended in the Parliament to differentiate shrimp hatchery activity from the farming activity there will not be any relief for us. Even the Union Government stands to gain now as they have been planning to double fisheries production in India through the PMMSY scheme,” he added.
Also present at the event was Dr. P.E. Cheran, Secretary, AISHA Tamil Nadu, Shri Yellanki Ravi, President, AISHA All India, Shri. Muthukaruppan V P, AISHA All India, Dr. Joshy K Sankar, General Secretary, AISHA All India and Shri K. Madusudhan Reddy, President, Society of Aquaculture Professionals (SAP).
A brief history of the Act and the multiple issues faced by the Industry
Since September 2022, the industry has been in jeopardy after a NGT order was issued asking the licensing authority, Coastal Aquaculture Authority to take action against hatcheries located on the shore, though in fact CRZ Notifications 2005, 2011 and 2019 have listed hatchery as a permitted activity in CRZ within 200 metres from HTL. Shrimp Hatchery being a very sensitive activity in Coastal Aquaculture which requires oceanic quality water, makes it an invariably beach front activity. The CAA Act 2005, however, had not demarcated hatchery as a beach front activity and clubbed with the farm activity that can very well be done beyond coastal regulation zone of 500 metres.
The Act notified both the activities as coastal aquaculture and the benefit of permit specified for hatcheries within 200 metres in CRZ notification had not been mentioned. Some unscrupulous elements in the society interpreted this point in the CAA act in their favour and started threatening the hatcheries to extort money, though the hatcheries are licensed and monitored by the Coastal Aquaculture Authority.
When the hatcheries declined to divulge on such demands, some of the so-called NGOs had filed a petition in the National Green Tribunal, Chennai demanding demolition of hatcheries functioning along the east coast of Tamil Nadu for the past three decades and got an order from NGT purely based on misinterpretation of the Act. Coastal Aquaculture in India provides livelihood to several lakhs of people particularly marginal farmers and landless labourers since its popularisation in the 1990s and has helped India earn more than Rs 40,000 crores in foreign exchange.