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Cooperative-led Blue Economy gains momentum; Dr Likhi reviews Raigad cluster in Maharashtra
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Friday, 31 October, 2025, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Our Bureau, Mumbai
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Union Secretary, Department of Fisheries (DoF) under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Dr Abhilaksh Likhi, visited the Fisheries Cooperative Cluster in Raigad district to review its progress and engage directly with cooperative stakeholders. The cluster is being developed as a model for integrated fisheries value-chain development. The visit aimed to assess ground-level challenges and identify opportunities for strengthening fisheries-based livelihoods through a cooperative-led approach. During the interaction, Dr Likhi met 251 members representing 156 Primary Fisheries Cooperative Societies and 9 Fish Farmer Producer Organisations (FFPOs) from Raigad, Maharashtra.
Underscoring Government commitment to cooperative-led development, secretary, Department of Fisheries (DoF), Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Dr Likhi, emphasised the need to align fisheries cluster activities with flagship national initiatives such as the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) and the Fisheries Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF). He noted that a Joint Task Force between the Department of Fisheries and the Ministry of Cooperation is actively working to strengthen fisheries cooperatives across the country. Echoing the spirit of the deep-sea fishing vessel inauguration held a day earlier by Union Minister of Home Affairs and Cooperation, Amit Shah, Dr Likhi highlighted fisheries cooperatives as a cornerstone of Government vision for the progress and prosperity of India’s fishing community.
During his visit to the Fisheries Cooperative Cluster in Raigad, Dr Likhi directed the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) to conduct awareness, training, and grievance redressal camps across all taluks of the district to ensure wider scheme outreach and effective implementation. He underscored the importance of the cluster-based approach in achieving integrated development across the fisheries value chain and encouraged stakeholders to adopt innovative strategies for boosting exports, enhancing infrastructure, improving financial access, and strengthening market linkages.
Dr Likhi noted that the interaction marked the beginning of a consultative planning process involving multiple rounds of dialogue with cooperative representatives to identify gaps and design holistic, need-based interventions. He assured that infrastructure development needs raised by the stakeholders would be prioritised.
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