Even recently the Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh while talking on cooperative matters in Delhi, referred to NFDB but did not mention Fishcopfed even once. Blue revolution is a peoples’ movement and an organization no matter how much cash-flush it may be, cannot achieve its goal without involving peoples, felt several cooperative leaders Indian Cooperative talked to.
National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) with its headquarters at Hyderabad is doing a good job in its own way but it mostly achieves these objectives through the state governments, says Fishcopfed Managing Director B K Mishra.
”But NFDB is not directly networking with fishermen and it job ends just by giving grants to state governments while we have a network of 31 lakh fishermen as our members through 18,000 societies spread across the country”, added Mishra.
What Mishra said is borne out by analysing the growth trajectory of the apex cooperative body in recent years. Since 2006 when Mishra took over the number of fishermen insured increased close to four fold from 12 lakh to 46 lakh now. Even the insurance amount saw a four-fold jump from Rs 50 thousand to Rs 2 lakh.
In the process Fishcopfed has created a huge database of fishermen and penetrated remotest parts of the country, a strength Ministry could be well-advised to exploit it in efforts towards a blue revolution. It conducts workshop involving fishermen in far-flung areas.
”How can we compete with the NFBD when they get a grant of Rs 150 crore and us a mere Rs 50 lakh? , asked Mishra. And we distribute close to Rs 2crore in salaries only thanks to the business model we have developed over the years,” he added.
”I do not object to the NFDB but if we are offered a level playing field we would leave them behind ”, a confident Mishra told Indian Cooperative. Mishra’s claim is not without substance as the Fishcopfed has seven offices at different locations and with the help of its affiliates- State Federations it claims to be the largest network of fishermen in the country.
