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Bhubaneswar, 20/01/2026 ( Odisha Samachar )-The ICAR–Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (ICAR-CIFA), Bhubaneswar organised a One-Day National Workshop on “Freshwater Aquaculture Technology Dissemination in India – Charting the Way Ahead” with the objective of finalising a time-bound national roadmap for scaling up proven freshwater aquaculture technologies through a demonstration-led and capacity-building framework in convergence with initiatives of the Department of Fisheries, Government of India and the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB)
Dr.Mangi Lal Jat, Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) and Director General, ICAR, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. In his address, he appreciated the commendable work of ICAR–CIFA and underscored the critical role of freshwater aquaculture in enhancing farmers’ income, ensuring nutritional security, and strengthening rural livelihoods.
He emphasized the need for coordinated national efforts to ensure effective dissemination of technologies, highlighting the importance of leadership and teamwork in realizing the vision of Viksit Bharat. Stressing the imperative of linking science with society, Dr.Jat noted that the Agricultural Technology Application Research Institutes and KrishiVigyanKendras play a pivotal role in translating research into field-level impact.He further called for a focused, accountable five-year action plan emerging from the workshop. From the perspective of agricultural development and farmers’ prosperity, he emphasized that a shared vision and collective understanding of priorities—along with convergence and synergy among stakeholders—are essential to achieving meaningful and sustainable outcomes.
The workshop was graced by Dr. J. K. Jena, Deputy Director General (Fisheries Science), ICAR, as the Guest of Honour. In his address, he highlighted the significant contributions of ICAR–CIFA and emphasized the critical role of freshwater aquaculture technologies in enhancing national aquaculture production. He also reflected on the emerging challenges and opportunities in achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat, underscoring the importance of capacity building and technology adoption.
Dr. Jena stated that the primary objective of the workshop was to sensitize Subject Matter Specialists (SMSs) of KrishiVigyanKendras (KVKs) about proven freshwater aquaculture technologies for wider dissemination. Shri SagarMehra, Joint Secretary (Inland Fisheries), Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India, informed the participants about the establishment of 34 fisheries clusters across the country. He stressed the need for a practical convergence roadmap for high-impact freshwater aquaculture technologies tailored to the requirements of different zones. Dr.Rajbir Singh, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Extension), ICAR, appreciated the innovative and farmer-centric technologies developed by ICAR-CIFA and emphasized their potential for scaling up through extension networks. Dr. B. K. Behera, Chief Executive, NFDB, underscored the importance of institutional convergence, large-scale demonstrations, scientific validation, and effective last-mile extension for accelerating the adoption of freshwater aquaculture technologies. He further provided an overview of the major programmes and initiatives being implemented by NFDB.
Earlier, Dr. P. K. Sahoo, Director, ICAR-CIFA, delivered the welcome address and emphasized the need for concerted effort for dissemination of freshwater aquaculture technologies across the country to enhance farmers’ income, nutritional security, and sustainable livelihoods.
Thetechnical sessionsof the workshop focused onscalable freshwater aquaculture technologies of ICAR-CIFA;zone-wise status of technology dissemination presented by Directors of all 09 ATARIs andNFDB-supported technology demonstration and capacity-building initiativesalong with deliberations onPMMSY schemes for freshwater aquaculture development. Afeedback session with KrishiVigyanKendras (KVKs) provided field-level insights withKVKs across the country participating through virtual modeensuring wide outreach and grassroots-level engagement.
The workshop concluded with extensive discussions on strategic roadmap finalisation, leading to consensus on strengthening research–extension linkages for nationwide scaling of freshwater aquaculture technologies. The programme ended with a vote of thanks proposed by Dr. H. K. De acknowledging the contributions of the dignitaries, participants and organizing team for the successful conduct of the workshop
