Will Madhya Pradesh's new fisheries policy leave traditional fishers behind?

By Raj Kumar Sinha* 

On July 6, a landmark investment agreement worth ₹7,430 crore was signed between Jabedi Al Kuwait, a leading Kuwaiti company, and Kamdars Care, Indore, for fisheries development in Madhya Pradesh. The project aims to develop cage culture facilities and integrated backward and forward linkage infrastructure in the Indira Sagar, Bargi, Bansagar, and Barna reservoirs. Announcing the agreement, the Chief Minister stated that the state's Integrated Fisheries Policy 2026 seeks to expand Madhya Pradesh's fisheries sector onto the international stage.

The announcement reflects the government's ambition to transform fisheries into a modern, investment-driven industry. Yet an important question remains unanswered: Will this transformation improve the lives of the state's traditional fishing communities, or will it further marginalize them?

Nearly 1.5 to 1.6 million people in Madhya Pradesh are directly or indirectly dependent on fisheries for their livelihood. Most belong to economically vulnerable communities living at or near the poverty line. Despite being the primary producers, they receive only a small share of the value generated because markets are largely controlled by contractors and middlemen. Reservoir fishing rights are frequently leased to contractors or outside entities, leaving local fishers with little option but to work as wage laborers in waters they have traditionally depended upon.

Local fishermen's cooperative societies often cannot compete in reservoir lease auctions because lease rates are prohibitively high, procedures are complex, and the nexus between contractors and officials creates additional barriers. Existing procurement rules and contractual systems further reduce the ability of small fishers to secure fishing rights. Without access to cold storage or an efficient cold chain, fishers are compelled to sell their catch immediately, usually at depressed prices determined by intermediaries. Moreover, most fishers remain unprotected against losses caused by accidents, adverse weather, or market fluctuations.

Against this backdrop, the state government has replaced its 2008 Fisheries Policy with the new Integrated Fisheries Policy 2026, marking a significant shift in direction.

The 2008 policy primarily focused on reservoir lease management, traditional fishing practices, and strengthening fishermen's cooperative societies. District Panchayats were entrusted with reservoir management, and the overarching objective was livelihood security for traditional fishing communities. The policy also included provisions for lease concessions during natural disasters.

The 2026 policy, however, envisions fisheries as an engine of agribusiness and the Blue Economy. It prioritizes production growth, private investment, exports, and technological modernization. While the earlier policy emphasized pond-based fisheries and cooperative management, the new framework promotes large-scale cage culture, with plans to establish nearly 100,000 fish cages across major reservoirs.

The policy also encourages the participation of private companies and investors through modern aquaculture models, raising concerns about increasing corporatization of the fisheries sector. It emphasizes hatcheries, research centers, integrated aqua parks, fish feed production, biofloc technology, and digital monitoring systems—all of which represent significant technological advances but also signal a shift away from community-centered fisheries management.

The government's objective is to double fish production and increase state revenue. While officials describe this as a pathway to "fisher prosperity," the transition also raises difficult questions about equity and resource ownership.

Large reservoirs that were previously managed largely through local cooperatives may increasingly become sites of commercial production under cage culture and contract-based fisheries. This could reduce the traditional access of local fishing communities to common water resources.

The ecological implications also deserve careful consideration. Intensive cage culture, introduction of non-native fish species, water pollution, privatization of reservoirs, and the displacement of small fishers pose significant environmental and social risks. The declining population of the iconic Mahseer in the Narmada River is already a warning of the ecological imbalance that poorly planned fisheries management can create.

In essence, the 2008 policy represented a model of community and cooperative fisheries management, whereas the 2026 policy moves toward a commercial, technology-driven, investment-oriented fisheries economy.

To promote the Blue Revolution, the Madhya Pradesh government has allocated ₹412 crore for fisheries development in this year's budget. Higher production and greater exports may indeed strengthen the state's economy. However, development cannot be measured solely by production statistics or investment figures.

If corporate control over reservoirs expands while cooperative institutions weaken, millions of fishers already struggling with poverty, exploitative markets, expensive leases, and limited resources could face even greater livelihood insecurity. Simultaneously, increasing pressure on reservoirs from cage culture, floating solar projects, dams, and scientifically inadequate fisheries management threatens aquatic biodiversity and long-term ecological sustainability.

Women, despite playing a vital role in fish processing and marketing, continue to have limited representation in decision-making and fisheries institutions. Any meaningful reform must also address this gender imbalance.

Madhya Pradesh currently has approximately 356,000 hectares of water spread area, of which around 349,000 hectares are under fish culture. The State Fisheries Federation manages 26 major and medium reservoirs covering 229,000 hectares, while District Panchayats oversee 79 reservoirs and Gram Panchayats administer 3,484 ponds.

According to information presented in the State Assembly, fish production from the state's reservoirs and ponds increased from 3,340 metric tonnes in 2019-20 to 4,538 metric tonnes in 2020-21 and 5,381 metric tonnes in 2021-22.

Yet these aggregate figures conceal serious local challenges. In the Bargi Reservoir, where 54 primary fishermen's cooperative societies from Seoni, Mandla, and Jabalpur districts are engaged in fishing, production has declined sharply over the past five years. Hundreds of fishers have been forced to migrate in search of work to reservoirs such as Bansagar, Machagora, and Bhimgarh, where contractors often employ them at extremely low wages, perpetuating economic exploitation.

Ironically, Bargi and Tawa reservoirs once represented one of India's most celebrated examples of community-based fisheries management. Developed during the 1990s, the cooperative model transformed displaced fishing communities from laborers into active resource managers. Through primary fishermen's cooperative societies, local communities participated in fish seed stocking, harvesting, production management, and marketing. The model generated employment for thousands of families while fostering collective ownership and sustainable resource management.

As Madhya Pradesh embraces cage culture, private investment, and commercial aquaculture, the Bargi and Tawa experience offers an important lesson: fisheries development should not sacrifice community rights in pursuit of higher production. Sustainable growth requires balancing economic expansion with social justice, local employment, and ecological conservation.

Traditional fishers are indispensable contributors to Madhya Pradesh's food security and rural economy. Yet they continue to face economic insecurity, social exclusion, and diminishing control over natural resources. The success of the state's new fisheries policy will ultimately depend not on the volume of fish produced or investment attracted, but on whether it safeguards the rights, livelihoods, and dignity of the communities that have sustained these waters for generations.

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*With Bargi Dam Displaced and Affected Association