Potential in Improving Nutritional Security through Aquaculture Development in India: A Regional Level Analysis

A large section of Indian population is dependent on animal source of protein like milk, meat, fish and egg. Except milk and milk products, all the other sources of food are considered as non-vegetarian proteins. Among them, fish is significant as one-quarter of population, numbering around 300 million people, consumes fish in India. It contributes about 44 per cent of non-vegetarian protein. The present paper has analyzed consumption pattern of fish and its contribution to non-vegetarian protein at the regional level. The National Sample Survey data which were available at the state level and were aggregated to the regional level, viz., eastern, north-eastern, western, northern, central and southern regions. The fish and inland fish production in the region vis-a-vis consumption has been analyzed to find out deficit and surplus regions. Based on the resources and aquaculture yield gap at the regional level, the potential for increasing fish production has been analysed. The study has concluded that there is potential to double the fish production at the national level and regional trade would be encouraged due to differential resource endowment across the regions which would contribute to the protein and nutritional security in a significant way.