New Delhi : India and Iceland are set to enhance collaboration in fisheries and aquaculture, focusing on sustainable practices, zero-waste models, technology transfer, and cluster-based development, the government said on Friday.
An Indian delegation, led by Dr. Abhilaksh Likhi, Secretary of the Department of Fisheries, completed a three-day official visit to Reykjavík, Iceland, to strengthen bilateral cooperation through strategic partnerships, investment promotion, and innovation exchange.
During the visit, Likhi met senior representatives of the Iceland Ocean Cluster and discussed cooperative innovation in fish processing, value addition, traceability, and certification. Leading Icelandic companies, BRIM and Hampiðjan, shared insights on their advanced zero-waste models and cutting-edge processing technologies.
Both sides explored investment opportunities for Icelandic seafood processing companies in India and ways to deepen business-to-business (B2B) linkages. The delegation also visited MATIS, Iceland’s top food and biotech R&D institute, to discuss cooperation in biotechnology, food safety, and marine resource utilisation. These collaborations aim to bolster India’s fisheries value chain through research and technology transfer.
The discussions also emphasized training and capacity building in deep-sea fishing technologies, adoption of advanced vessel monitoring and surveillance (VMS) systems, trout farming, and tuna innovations for India’s islands.
India has adopted a cluster-based development model under the PMMSY, with 34 clusters notified so far. This approach improves competitiveness and efficiency by uniting geographically connected enterprises of all sizes—micro, small, medium, and large—across the entire value chain, from production to exports.
India’s total fish production has grown by 104% from 96 lakh tonnes in 2013–14 to 195 lakh tonnes in 2024–25, with inland fisheries expanding by 142% from 61 lakh tonnes to 147.37 lakh tonnes during the same period. India ranks as the world’s second-largest fish producer, contributing around 8% of global output.
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