Ministry of Fisheries Reviews Chhattisgarh Tilapia Cluster Development
Dr. Abhilaksh Likhi, Secretary of the Department of Fisheries, chaired an interactive meeting in Raipur, Chhattisgarh on August 20, 2026, to review the progress of the Tilapia Cluster notified under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). The hybrid meeting witnessed participation from over 1,300 Tilapia fish farmers, entrepreneurs, exporters, and stakeholders including officials from the Department of Fisheries, State Fisheries Department, ICAR fisheries institutes, NFDB, MPEDA, NABARD, fisheries cooperatives, and seafood exporters.
India has achieved record fish production of 198 lakh tonnes and seafood exports worth ₹73,890.46 crore despite global trade disruptions. Investments of nearly ₹900 crore have been made under PMMSY in Chhattisgarh for quality seed, feed, and modern aquaculture technologies, contributing to doubling the state's fish production to nearly 10 lakh tonnes. The government is adopting a cluster-based approach with 34 fisheries production and processing clusters to enhance competitiveness through end-to-end interventions across production, processing, value addition, and market linkages.
Export Achievements and Production Metrics
Chhattisgarh has emerged as the first inland state to initiate exports of value-added Tilapia products, with 382 tonnes exported to the United States. The state produces nearly 25,000 tonnes of Tilapia locally. MM Hatcheries in Mana, Raipur, a dedicated Tilapia hatchery, has received financial assistance of ₹5 crore under the Entrepreneurship Model of PMMSY and a Performance Grant of ₹35 lakh under PM-MKSSY for employment generation and logistics support. The hatchery is engaged in genetic improvement programs and quality seed production, supplying Tilapia seed across the country.
Global Context and Export Potential
Tilapia is a globally traded freshwater species with strong demand in markets across Africa, Europe, and Asia. India exported 32,324 MT of identified freshwater/inland species valued at ₹535.21 crore in FY 2025-26, with Tilapia accounting for 22,601 MT worth ₹189.73 crore, making it the country's largest freshwater finfish export by volume. The Tilapia cluster has witnessed investments exceeding ₹9 crore, including more than ₹4 crore through credit support from lending institutions and ₹5 crore under the NFDB Entrepreneurship Model.
Challenges and Stakeholder Recommendations
Farmers highlighted several challenges including availability of quality seed, high production costs from water rent charges in industrial-notified areas, rising electricity costs for production infrastructure, and need for targeted subsidies to reduce input costs. They requested capacity-building programs for small and tribal fish farmers covering modern production practices, export certification requirements, and international market standards. Stakeholders emphasized the need for stronger market linkages, domestic market development, simplified institutional credit access, and Common Facility Centres (CFC) for processing and value addition.
Strategic Recommendations and Future Outlook
Dr. Surabhi Rai emphasized strengthening last-mile infrastructure, promoting technology adoption including IoT, biofloc and RAS, and addressing low credit absorption. Dr. J K Jena highlighted Chhattisgarh's potential to emerge as a leading Tilapia hub and quality seed production center, emphasizing biosecurity measures and quality seed usage. The Department has identified multiple states including Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Kerala for Tilapia development potential. The cluster-based approach aims to leverage freshwater resources for scale-based, export-oriented production linked with processing, cold chain, and quality assurance infrastructure.