Amaravati, Feb 18 Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday called for transforming aquaculture into a growth engine for the state.
Addressing the Aquatech-2.0 conclave organised by the Global Forum for Sustainable Transformation (GFST), a non-profit organisation, the Chief Minister expressed confidence that the aqua sector will certainly be a growth engine for strengthening the financial status of the state.
He felt that a 30 per cent growth rate is possible in this sector by utilizing technology and by adopting modern methods.
Stating that aquaculture activity is on in about four lakh acres, he called for expanding this to 10 lakh acres by 2029-30. He, however, underscored the need for the aquaculture to be pollution-free.
Chief Minister Naidu opined that there will be a great demand across the globe for aqua products if organic methods are adopted as excellent results are being achieved through organic farming. He also felt the need to bring in radical changes in the feed in aquaculture.
The farmers can earn better revenue if the farm products are value-added, he noted.
Stating that pollution is the major problem in aquaculture, he said that there are several solutions for controlling pollution and this should be followed by the farmers and other stakeholders. Everyone should strictly follow the guidelines and register the details of aquaculture, the Chief Minister said.
The three-day conclave that concluded on Tuesday discussed at length the changes being adopted in the sector, opportunities available, issues being faced, and the policies being adopted in aquaculture along with several other issues. The participants mainly focussed on bringing awareness among the farmers on utilising technology in aquaculture to get better results.
Maintaining that he has a special interest in the aqua sector, the Chief Minister said that the state is highly suitable for aquaculture and between 2014 and 2019 aquaculture was the major revenue source for the state. Though the aqua production in countries like Vietnam is much lower, such countries are much ahead in valuation, he added.
Stating that there is every need to promote technology, he felt that Artificial Intelligence (AI) should be used in aquaculture to the maximum extent possible to reduce the expenditure and to improve quality. AI can be used to analyse what kind of diseases are likely to hit and how to prevent them, he added.
The Chief Minister said that the food habits of the people are changing by the day and the farmers too should follow suit to meet the growing demand. Livestock is very useful for the economic activity of the common man, he said.
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