Cooperators connected with fisheries cooperatives across the country are sore with National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) which has failed to include a single representation from the fisheries cooperatives in the apex body.
The recently reconstituted governing board of National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), Hyderabad is bare of representation from the fishery cooperative sector. It bears recall that there are 21 thousands fishery cooperatives with about 31 lakh members in the country.
However, this seems to have not gone down well with those who set great store by the role the fishery cooperative sector can play in realizing the goals of Blue Revolution in the country.
Leaders associated with the cooperative fishery sector have also said in no uncertain terms that the govt. would do well to enlist the support of their organizations in accomplishing the revolution by 2020.
“It is a pity that not a single cooperator from fishery cooperatives has been inducted to the 53 member strong governing body. This has meant excluding over 21 thousands fishery cooperatives with about 31 lakh members from contributing their bit towards achieving the blue revolution, said a cooperator.
A couple of other cooperators have said the same thing demanding representation for the fishery cooperative sector including North, East, West, South, Central and North East Zones. In particular, Central, North and North East Zones have been completely ignored.
Considering the govt. has created a separate dept of fisheries it would have been only logical if the govt. had involved the cooperative fisheries sector in its exertions towards the blue revolution, he regretted.
Given, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Radha Mohan Singh all the time underlying the fact that blue revolution will help the govt. achieve its goal of doubling the income of farmers by 2022, the exclusion of the fishery cooperative sector from the governing body barely stands to scrutiny.