Lovers of mythology believe that the world?s first aquarium was made in India. But India lays claim to less than 1% of the global trade in ornamental fish worth around $20 billion. Indian policymakers and fish export organisations, led by the Union commerce ministry?s Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), want to convert this growing, job-oriented, small investment, and export-oriented business into a livelihood security enterprise through a ?revolution?. The plan is to cash in on India?s rich diversity of ornamental fish and varied agro-climatic conditions suitable for their captive breeding, building these into a sustainable export business. Ornamental fish-keeping is the second biggest hobby in the world after photography. The market for it is vast in India and in West Asia, Europe, US and Japan.
MPEDA?s effort to fast track exports by setting up a network of 7,200 ornamental fish breeding farms, including both native and imported stocks, across India is to gain momentum. So far it has been able to set up about 300 units to breed 70 million fish. Exports in 2008-09 have been only worth $1.2 million. KV Thomas, the Union minister of state for agriculture, whose ministry also covers fisheries, said in Chennai recently that exports of ornamental fish could reach $50 million by 2012 and $100 million by 2016?with a slew of development plans initiated by MPEDA, the National Fisheries Development Board, private entrepreneurs and FDI.
The first significant FDI in the ornamental fish sector has been by Jodi Fisheries, a joint venture between Joseph Itzkovich, an Israeli consultant who knows the ornamental fish potential in India, and Didier Gendre, a French investor. Itzkovich says ornamental fish breeding and exports, though an immensely high potential business, need patience and perseverance. It cannot be fast tracked or revolutionised. Jodi aims to make Chennai an export hub of ornamental fish varieties bred in units all over India.
Liberal bank finance and other infrastructure support for breeders and exporters need to be ensured.
joseph.vackayil@expressindia.com