Photo: ICAR-CIBA/FIS

Digitizing the Blue Revolution: How Information and Technology Can Transform Indian Aquaculture

INDIA
Friday, April 18, 2025, 06:00 (GMT + 9)

Experts highlight the crucial role of digital tools, timely data, and smart investment in empowering small-scale fish and shrimp farmers for a resource-efficient and globally competitive future.

India's aquaculture sector, though commercially active since the early 1990s, still holds vast untapped potential. Experts believe the key to unlocking this lies in empowering smallholder farmers through timely access to information and the strategic integration of digital technologies.

India’s aquaculture boom was initially fueled by the New Economic Policy, which prioritized foreign exchange earnings via exports of high-value commodities like shrimp. The sector soon embraced standardized hatchery and feed technologies and adopted scientific farming practices. With tropical shrimp readily absorbed by global markets, the integration of physical technologies spurred growth, employment, and incomes.

The Digital Turning Point

Today, aquaculture stands at a crossroads where the effective use of Information Technology (IT) can either optimize input use for the same output or boost yields without increasing input costs. In either case, both physical and digital resource efficiencies can dramatically improve profitability—particularly for small-scale farmers.

To scale up sustainably, farm-level operations must be integrated into efficient supply and value chains. This requires access to real-time, relevant information—from weather patterns to disease alerts and market prices. Without it, smallholder farmers struggle to manage rising costs, disease outbreaks, and fluctuating markets.

IT’s initial role in Indian aquaculture came via mobile apps, enabling home delivery of fish and shrimp during market disruptions. While such apps have evolved, deeper adoption of farm-management tech remains limited. Many farmers still lack access to tools that can mitigate risks and optimize production, making digital integration more urgent than ever.

Government Support and Emerging Investment

Government schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana have significantly expanded physical infrastructure, along with access to credit and insurance. More recently, the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi-Saha Yojana (2023–2027) is targeting financial and technological adoption at the grassroots level.

In a promising move, a $4.5 million investment in March 2025 funded the development of a full-stack aquaculture technology platform combining biological research with field-based data analytics. This platform aims to improve product validation, optimize environmental parameters, and feed insights directly into R&D pipelines—marking a major step toward intelligent, data-driven aquaculture.

But such efforts will only succeed if small and marginal farmers embrace the technologies that can reduce losses and increase returns. This includes regulated contract farming supported by IT platforms that track the entire supply chain, ensuring better price realization and reduced wastage.

Toward Global Competitiveness and Domestic Growth

To further strengthen India’s position in global seafood exports, experts suggest exploring reverse FDI—investing in Central American nations with lower production costs and favorable proximity to the U.S. market. This strategy, backed by the strong rupee-dollar dynamic, could provide a competitive edge.

At home, boosting domestic consumption of fish and shrimp must start with increasing output volumes to reduce prices. Public awareness campaigns focusing on the health and nutritional benefits of seafood can help expand demand in urban and rural markets alike.

Additionally, fisheries education should be reformed to emphasize IT proficiency, preparing students for a digital-first industry that thrives on real-time data, analytics, and tech-enabled decision-making.

The Road Ahead

The future of Indian aquaculture is unmistakably digital. With real-time price discovery, responsive supply chains, and smarter resource use, the sector can transform into a global model of inclusive, tech-enabled growth.

Source:
Dr. M. Krishnan (Principal Scientist & Head, Retd., ICAR – Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai) and Dr. Badri Narayanan Goplakrishnan (Visiting Senior Fellow, Centre for Social and Economic Progress, New Delhi), as reported by ABC News.

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