In a significant boost to the fisheries sector and the Government of India's vision of a holistic and sustainable Blue Economy, the Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying and Panchayati Raj, Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh, along with the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Bihar, Shri Samrat Choudhary, laid the foundation stone of the Integrated Aqua Park at Vanasaur Fish Seed Farm, Bhojpur, and inaugurated the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) Regional Centre at Patna, Bihar, on 15^th June 2026.

The Integrated Aqua Park, approved under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) at a total cost of ₹31.21 crore, will function as a state-of-the-art integrated aquaculture complex comprising carp and striped catfish hatcheries, brooder incubation facilities, biofloc tanks, Recirculatory Aquaculture System (RAS) units, fish feed manufacturing facilities, water quality and disease diagnostic laboratories, quarantine facilities, and a 50-bed residential training hostel. The project is designed to ensure the availability of quality fish seed, demonstrate modern aquaculture technologies, build the capacities of fish farmers, and reduce dependence on neighbouring states for critical aquaculture inputs, thereby improving productivity and farmer incomes.

The newly inaugurated NFDB Regional Centre at Patna will serve as the institutional nerve centre for Bihar and neighbouring eastern states, bringing technical expertise, scheme convergence, capacity building, digital outreach, and field-level implementation support closer to beneficiaries. The Centre will promote modern aquaculture systems including biofloc, RAS, cage culture and precision aquaculture while providing continuous technical handholding to fishers, cooperatives and entrepreneurs.

Addressing the gathering, the Hon’ble Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying and Panchayati Raj, Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh said that the two projects represent direct investments in Bihar's fisheries future and reaffirm the Government of India's commitment to strengthening inland fisheries. He noted that Bihar's fish production has grown from 3.18 lakh tonnes in 2005 to over 10.2 lakh tonnes in 2025, reflecting the transformative impact of sustained investments in inland fisheries. Emphasising the role of the new NFDB Regional Centre at Patna, support for training, capacity building, value addition and export-oriented aquaculture would be key focus areas.

Hon'ble Chief Minister of Bihar, Shri Samrat Choudhary said that Bihar possesses immense untapped potential in inland fisheries and that the State Government is committed to harnessing this potential through infrastructure creation, technology adoption and institutional strengthening. He noted that Jharkhand and Nepal present significant market opportunities for Bihar's fisheries sector. Production must increasingly align with consumer preferences and market demand, including high-value and boneless fish varieties. He also highlighted that the Integrated Aqua Park is a unique site that will be developed as an eco-tourism destination.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Abhilaksh Likhi, Secretary, Department of Fisheries, Government of India, highlighted that over the last decade, Bihar has received nearly ₹900 crore under PMMSY & Blue Revolution, including around ₹600 crore under PMMSY alone. With the establishment of the new NFDB Regional Centre at Patna, training, capacity building, DPR preparation and project support will now be delivered locally, strengthening Bihar's journey towards becoming a leading inland fisheries hub.

The Integrated Aqua Park and the NFDB Regional Centre together represent a comprehensive production-to-institution continuum—one providing advanced technology, quality seed and infrastructure, and the other delivering knowledge, capacity building and implementation support. Together, these initiatives are expected to accelerate the adoption of modern aquaculture practices, strengthen the fisheries value chain and contribute to higher incomes, employment generation and sustainable growth in Bihar’s fisheries sector.

Backgrounder:

Bihar possesses one of the country's richest inland aquatic resource bases, with over 1.22 lakh hectares of tanks and ponds, 9.5 lakh hectares of floodplain wetlands and derelict waters, 0.64 lakh hectares of reservoirs, and more than 21,354 kilometers of rivers and canals, providing immense opportunities for sustainable fisheries-led economic growth.

Government of India investments of over ₹902 crore in the fisheries sector during the last eleven years have helped transform Bihar's fisheries landscape, with fish production more than doubling from 4.79 lakh MT in 2014-15 to 10.28 lakh MT in 2025-26, elevating the State from the ninth to the fourth largest inland fish-producing state in the country. Bihar has also emerged as a net supplier of 89,600 MT of fish to neighboring states annually.

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JP

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