Srinagar, July 17: Forget Bengal, fish consumption has increased by more than 20 percent in Jammu and Kashmir.
A study “Fish Consumption In India: Patterns And Trends” conducted by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, and WorldFish India, has revealed fish consumption in Jammu and Kashmir has surged by 20.9%.
This is the highest percentage reported by any state or union territory in India.
It said that 81.60 percent of the total population in Jammu and Kashmir consumed fish. In 2005-2006, Jammu and Kashmir had only 60.70 percent population consumed fish.
Jammu and Kashmir is much ahead of the North-Eastern and eastern states, Kerala and Goa where there are the highest percentage of fish eaters.
In Kerala, fish consumption has increased by 1.80 percent since 2005-06 whereas Goa has 2.1 percent fish eaters.
The study also documented a lower number of fish eaters in the state of Haryana – with a small share of 20.6%, followed by Punjab(26.45%) and Rajasthan(22.50%).
It said that fish as a part of the diet is mostly being loved by males in Jammu and Kashmir. More than 89 percent of males love eating fish in Jammu and Kashmir compared to 73.40 females.
In Jammu and Kashmir, fish farming has witnessed immense acceptance from people, which substantially led to the growth of fish production in the union territory.
As per the figures, fish production in Kashmir has increased by 5840 tons, generating 366.12 lakhs of revenue during this period in the last four years. The production of trout has increased from 598 tons in 2019 to 1990 tons during the financial year 2022-23.
An official from the fisheries department said the growth in the production of fish varieties has led to an increase in its consumption in Jammu and Kashmir.
“The availability of fish with regulated rates makes it affordable for every person. We are promoting fish farming and our youth have been scripting success in this business,” he said.
