The Union government is accelerating the transformation of India’s fisheries cooperative sector by converting existing cooperative societies into Fish Farmers Producer Organisations (FFPOs) under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), with a strong focus on economic empowerment, market access and institutional strengthening of fishers and fish farmers.
The Department of Fisheries under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying approved a major proposal in March 2023 allowing the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) to convert 1,000 existing Primary Fisheries Cooperative Societies (PFCS) across coastal States and Union Territories into FFPOs. The initiative is being implemented with 100 per cent central financial assistance amounting to Rs 225.50 crore under PMMSY.
Among the States, Maharashtra received the highest allocation with 316 cooperative societies identified for conversion, followed by Andhra Pradesh with 182 societies, Gujarat with 146, Kerala with 124 and Tamil Nadu with 105. Karnataka has been allotted 62 societies, West Bengal 40, Odisha 21 and Goa four, taking the total to 1,000 PFCS nationwide. These conversions are aimed at enhancing the bargaining power of fishers, improving value realisation and enabling collective access to markets, finance and technology.
Each FFPO is supported through a structured financial package that includes formation and incubation costs, management support and equity grants under PMMSY. In addition, NCDC is extending concessional finance and technical assistance to ensure operational sustainability. As part of this support, NCDC has already facilitated several value-addition and integrated fisheries projects across States.
These include integrated fish farming units with allied activities in Bihar, fish value-addition and supply-chain development projects in Maharashtra, reservoir development initiatives in Gujarat and cold-chain-based fish processing ventures in Uttar Pradesh, with central assistance ranging between Rs 38 lakh and Rs 50 lakh per project.
Further expanding the institutional base of the fisheries sector, the Department of Fisheries also approved another NCDC proposal in March 2023 for the formation of 70 new FFPOs across the country, at a total cost of Rs 37.80 crore, fully funded by the Centre.
These new FFPOs have been registered in 24 States and Union Territories, with Odisha and Tamil Nadu accounting for six each, Bihar six, Maharashtra five, Madhya Pradesh five and Uttarakhand five. Andhra Pradesh has emerged as a key beneficiary with seven newly registered FFPOs, alongside new entities in Gujarat, Kerala, Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and several northeastern States.
In Andhra Pradesh, the seven new FFPOs promoted by NCDC are spread across districts such as Kurnool, Nandyala, Anantapur, SPSR Nellore, Prakasam, Sri Balaji and Bapatla, covering inland, coastal and marine fisheries clusters. These organisations are expected to play a pivotal role in aggregation, input procurement, processing and marketing of fish and fishery products.
Under the larger programme of converting 182 PFCS into FFPOs in Andhra Pradesh, Konaseema district leads with 34 cooperative societies, followed by West Godavari with 20, Srikakulam with 19 and Eluru with 18. East Godavari, Kakinada, Bapatla and Krishna districts also feature prominently, reflecting the State’s strong fisheries base.
This information was shared by Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh, also known as Lalan Singh, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha, highlighting the Centre’s continued push to strengthen fisheries cooperatives through institutional reforms and targeted financial support.
