THEBUSINESSBYTES
BUREAU
NEW
DELHI, JULY 21, 2026
The fisheries and
aquaculture sector in Odisha, particularly Balasore district, has received a
major boost through a series of Central and State government initiatives aimed
at strengthening infrastructure, enhancing production and improving the
livelihoods of fishermen.
The Department of
Fisheries under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying
informed that it has been implementing a wide range of schemes for the holistic
development of the fisheries sector across the country, including Balasore,
based on proposals submitted by State governments. Since 2014-15, under the
Blue Revolution and the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), the Centre
has approved fisheries and aquaculture projects worth ₹1,567.96 crore for Odisha, with a
Central assistance of ₹549.58 crore.
In addition, under
the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF), 13
projects with a total cost of ₹784.32
crore and a restricted interest subvention of ₹286.39 crore have been approved for Odisha. Of these, two
projects worth ₹8.26 crore have been sanctioned for implementation in Balasore
district. The Odisha Government has also been implementing the Mukhyamantri
Matsyajibi Kalyan Yojana (MMKY) to promote fisheries and aquaculture
development across the State, including Balasore.
Balasore has emerged
as one of the key beneficiaries of these initiatives. Major interventions
undertaken between 2014-15 and 2025-26 include the development of the Chandipur
Fishing Harbour at a cost of ₹49.94
crore, the establishment of a state-of-the-art wholesale fish market at Basta
costing ₹78.20 crore, development of five Climate Resilient Coastal Fishermen
Villages, installation of six cold storage and ice
plant units, and the implementation of a sea cage culture demonstration project
for Indian pompano at Bahabalpur coast at a cost of ₹2.57 crore.
The district has also brought 107 hectares of brackish-water area under aquaculture, established three finfish hatcheries and one scampi hatchery, and has been declared the Production and Processing Cluster for scampi, reinforcing its growing importance in Odisha's fisheries economy.
According to the Odisha Government, Balasore has received a total allocation of ₹250.71 crore under various fisheries development schemes since 2014-15. Of this, ₹214.45 crore — around 86 per cent of the allocated funds — has already been utilized, reflecting significant progress in the implementation of fisheries infrastructure and development projects in the district.
