Uttarakhand News: For the first time after the formation of the state, fish from Uttarakhand has reached the international market. Three cooperative societies of Pithoragarh district have supplied five metric tons of fish to Nepal with the help of the state government. The good news is also that Uttarakhand is preparing to export about 30 tonnes of fish in the coming days.
Fisheries Development Minister Saurabh Bahuguna shared this information in a press conference on Friday at the media center of the State Secretariat. He told that these fishes were prepared by three fisheries cooperative societies of Dharchula and Munsiyari area of Pithoragarh. Maintaining cold-chain, the fish was sent to Veraval, Gujarat, where after processing it was successfully exported to the international market of Nepal on 23 June 2026. Due to this, 33 fishermen have received an income of approximately ₹ 23.50 lakh.
According to the Cabinet Minister, to encourage this first export of Uttarakhand, the Fisheries Department provided gap funding assistance of ₹ 5.40 lakh for harvesting, packaging and transportation. He said that this is a positive result of contacts established with international buyers and stakeholders during the Gulf Food Expo held in Dubai. The department is now also working on export possibilities to other markets in Europe, Middle-East and South-East Asia. In this sequence, preparations are being made to export about 30 tonnes of fish abroad in the coming days.
Positive changes from the policy of Dhami government
-Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and his government have taken concrete steps to open new employment opportunities in the fisheries sector. Positive changes have started appearing from the policy of Dhami government in this regard. According to Fisheries Minister Saurabh Bahuguna, an MoU was signed with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police in the year 2024 to provide marketing assistance to the fishermen, under which so far 45.10 metric tons of trout fish worth ₹ 2.10 crore has been supplied.
Scope of fisheries sector increased, continuous progress is being made
-Fisheries sector is continuously progressing in the state. Departmental Minister Saurabh Bahuguna said that till the year 2022, there were only 10,011 fish farmers in the state, now this number has increased to 15,657. These include 3,584 women fishermen. The growth rate of fish production, which was only two percent in the year 2012-17, has increased to 11 percent in the year 2022-26. In the year 2026-27, 11,805 metric tonnes of fish was produced in the state, which is worth approximately ₹ 165 crore.
Department budget also increased, job opportunities also increased
-According to Shri Bahuguna, the annual budget of the Fisheries Department has increased from ₹ 55.76 crore in the year 2021-22 to ₹ 261.41 crore in the year 2026-27. In the last four years, self-employment opportunities were created for 5,646 fish farmers in the fisheries sector. 33 regular appointments have been made in the department.
Government schemes are proving to be game changers
-Fisheries Minister said that the new Trout Promotion Scheme, Chief Minister Matsya Sampada Yojana etc. started at the government level are getting positive results. The fisheries sector has currently become one of the fastest growing sectors of the state’s economy. Also, it is contributing significantly to rural livelihood and employment generation. Director Matsya Chandra Singh Dharamshaktu was also present in the press conference.