SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has formed only two Fish Farmers Producer Organisations (FFPOs) under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) over the past five years, placing the Union Territory among the lowest-performing regions in the country in the implementation of the fisheries cooperative initiative.
The figures were disclosed by the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying in a written reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 353, answered by Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh on Tuesday.
According to the Ministry, Jammu and Kashmir has established two new FFPOs since 2021-22, while no existing Primary Fisheries Cooperative Society (PFCS) has been converted into an FFPO under the scheme.
Neighbouring Ladakh has established one new FFPO, also without conversion of any existing cooperative society.
The data show that Jammu and Kashmir lags well behind several other states in creating producer organisations intended to strengthen the bargaining power and incomes of fish farmers. While Jammu and Kashmir has only two FFPOs, states such as Andhra Pradesh have 192, Telangana has 245 (seven new and 238 converted cooperatives), Maharashtra has 261, Assam has 176, Tripura has 122, Kerala has 127, and Tamil Nadu has 113.
The Ministry said the PMMSY provides financial assistance for forming Fish Farmers Producer Organisations to economically empower fishers and fish farmers by improving collective marketing, enhancing access to finance and technology, and strengthening their negotiating capacity in the fisheries value chain.
Nationally, the Department of Fisheries approved projects worth Rs 544.86 crore during the five-year period from 2021-22 to 2025-26 for the formation of 2,195 FFPOs, comprising 195 newly established organisations and 2,000 existing Primary Fisheries Cooperative Societies proposed to be transformed into FFPOs.
As of now, 2,104 FFPOs have actually been formed across the country. These include 195 new FFPOs and 1,909 existing fisheries cooperative societies converted into producer organisations.
The programme is being implemented through four central agencies—the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), the Small Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC), the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) and the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC).
The parliamentary reply highlighted Andhra Pradesh as one of the leading states under the programme. The state has established 10 new FFPOs with central assistance of Rs 328.20 lakh and converted 182 existing Primary Fisheries Cooperative Societies into producer organisations with an investment of Rs 963.73 lakh. In Konaseema district alone, 34 fisheries cooperatives have been transformed into FFPOs.
According to the Ministry, 39,022 fishers and fish farmers are associated with the 192 functional FFPOs in Andhra Pradesh, including 6,136 members in newly created producer organisations.
No corresponding figures on membership, funding or district-wise distribution were provided for Jammu and Kashmir in the parliamentary reply.
The PMMSY, launched by the Centre to modernise India’s fisheries sector, supports FFPOs through incubation assistance, management costs, equity grants, capacity building and market linkages, with the objective of strengthening collective enterprises owned by fishers and fish farmers.
The latest data indicate that while the programme has expanded rapidly across many coastal and inland fisheries states, its footprint in Jammu and Kashmir remains limited, with only two producer organisations formed over the last five years.
