Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture visits CMFRI

KOCHI:
A delegation of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Food Processing visited the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) here on Friday. Headed by PC Gaddigoudar, Loksabha Member from Bagalkot constituency in Karnataka, the panel visited various research facilities at the institute, including laboratories and interacted with scientists to assess CMFRI’s research programmes on marine fisheries and allied areas. The committee consisted of six Members of Parliament and other officials, including Uttam Chand Bharadwaj, Secretary to the delegation.

The committee was briefed on CMFRI’s works encompassing marine capture fisheries; mariculture activities like cage fish farming, seaweed farming, integrated multi-trophic aquaculture and technology development for breeding commercially important marine fishes; marine biodiversity and environment management; fish genetics and marine biotechnology; socio-economic aspects and extension activities, etc.

CMFRI Director Dr A Gopalakrishnan and the Heads of various divisions discussed the institute’s plans for the future, emphasising its efforts to maintain the sustainability of the marine fisheries with the committee members. The panel was impressed with CMFRI’s research and its contributions to the development of the marine fisheries sector in India. They said that the institute is playing a vital role in ensuring food security and promoting sustainable fisheries.

Besides the Committee Chairman, the panel comprised MPs Dr Anil Sukhdeorao Bonde, Masthan Rao Beeda, Ram Nath Thakur, Devendra Singh and Ramilaben Becharbhai Bara.