One day workshop – Entrepreneurship Opportunities in Fisheries Sector

A one-day workshop on “Entrepreneurship Opportunities in Fisheries Sector” was organized on 11^th November 2025 by the Zonal Technology Management & Agribusiness Incubation (ZTM-ABI) Centre and Fisheries Incubation Centre (FIC) of ICAR–Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT), Kochi, in collaboration with the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS). The programme aimed to create awareness on emerging business prospects and entrepreneurial avenues in the fisheries sector.

The inaugural session opened with the welcome address by Dr. C.O. Mohan, Principal Scientist, ICAR-CIFT, followed by the Presidential Address by Dr. George Ninan, Director, ICAR-CIFT. Shri. Narayanan Kutty, Member of the National Executive Committee, BKS, felicitated the event and appreciated the efforts of ICAR-CIFT and BKS in promoting fisheries-based entrepreneurship.

The programme was formally inaugurated by Dr. Shine Kumar C.S., Director, NIFPHATT, who highlighted the importance of strengthening linkages between research institutions and entrepreneurs for effective technology transfer and sustainable development of the fisheries sector. Publications prepared by the scientists of ICAR–CIFT were released by the Chief Guest, Dr. Shine Kumar C.S. The inaugural session concluded with a Vote of Thanks proposed by Dr. Ratheesh Gopal, Secretary, BKS, who expressed gratitude to all the dignitaries and participants.

The technical sessions covered diverse aspects of fisheries-related entrepreneurship and opportunities. Dr. K.K. Vijayan, Former Director, ICAR-CIBA, spoke on ‘Advances in Fish Production Technologies Adaptable for Kerala’; Dr. S. Remya, Senior Scientist, ICAR-CIFT, discussed on ‘ICAR Fisheries Technologies for Business Opportunities’; Dr. Rejula K., Senior Scientist, ICAR-CIFT, presented on ‘Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in Fisheries – Scopes of FFPOs, Startups, SHGs and Individuals’ and Shri. Ajeesh Balu, NABARD Representative, elaborated on ‘Schemes and Policies by NABARD’. Ms. Smrithi Ramadasan, NFDB, Hyderabad, delivered an online session on ‘Policies, Incentives and Schemes for Fisheries Development’.

The panel discussion, moderated by Dr. C.O. Mohan, Principal Scientist, ICAR-CIFT, served as an interactive platform to discuss policy-level interventions, institutional support mechanisms, and financial assistance schemes available for fisheries-based enterprises. The distinguished panel members were :

1. Dr. C.O. Mohan, Principal Scientist, ICAR-CIFT, Kochi.
2. Mr. Anil Kumar K K., DIC, Ernakulam.
3. Mr. Sathyan K.P., Chief Manager, Agri CPC, SBI AO, Ernakulam.
4. Mr. M. Shaji, Former Joint Director, MPEDA, Kochi.
5. M. V. Rajendran, Chairman, FPO, State Federation.

The workshop concluded with remarks by Shri. Muralidharan, Member of BKS.

More than 230 participants, including fish farmers, entrepreneurs, students, researchers, and representatives from allied sectors, actively took part in the workshop. The participants showed great enthusiasm in exploring the business opportunities and incubation support offered through the Fisheries Incubation Centre. The interactive sessions provided a platform for them to engage with experts and understand various aspects of enterprise development, financial access, technology commercialization, and value addition in fisheries.