A National Level Workshop on Fisheries Cooperative Societies held in Hyderabad on Friday focused on strengthening India’s fisheries cooperative ecosystem under the vision of “Sahkar Se Samriddhi,” with Ashish Kumar Bhutani strongly advocating institutional reforms, technology integration and stronger market linkages for fisheries cooperatives.
Organised as part of a nationwide series of regional consultations, the workshop brought together officials from State governments, cooperative institutions, fisheries organisations, financial agencies and development bodies to discuss ways to accelerate cooperative-led growth in the fisheries sector. Earlier workshops under the initiative had been held in Mizoram and Jaipur.
Addressing the inaugural session, Dr. Bhutani underlined the growing role of fisheries cooperative societies in improving rural livelihoods, generating employment and building sustainable community-based economic systems. He said cooperative institutions were emerging as an effective framework for inclusive development, particularly for fishermen, women and rural households associated with the fisheries value chain.
Bhutani stressed the need for stronger institutional mechanisms, better access to affordable finance and modernisation of cooperative structures to make fisheries societies more competitive and sustainable. He also emphasised integrating technology-enabled systems for improved production, processing and marketing outcomes.
Highlighting the Ministry of Cooperation’s efforts since its formation, Bhutani said coordinated work involving cooperatives, financial institutions and development agencies was helping create a stronger grassroots ecosystem capable of enhancing nutritional security and rural economic resilience. He also proposed regular quarterly workshops with States for continuous monitoring, policy feedback and effective implementation of fisheries-related schemes.
Abhilaksh Likhi highlighted the vast opportunities in India’s fisheries sector and stressed innovation-driven, cooperative-led development models. He spoke about the expanding fisheries startup ecosystem and called for stronger market connectivity, digital integration and modern infrastructure to align India’s fisheries sector with emerging global standards.
The workshop featured detailed technical sessions on formation of new fisheries cooperative societies, strengthening existing societies and expanding institutional credit linkages. Discussions also focused on the implementation of schemes such as PMMSY and PM-MKSSY, fisheries insurance, reservoir fisheries, ornamental fisheries, seaweed cultivation, open-sea cage culture and digital marketing platforms.
Representatives from National Fisheries Development Board, National Cooperative Development Corporation, National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India and other institutions shared best practices and cooperative development models.
The workshop concluded with a collective commitment to expand fisheries cooperatives, strengthen grassroots institutions and promote sustainable, cooperative-led transformation in India’s fisheries sector.
