The ICAR-CIFT (Central Institute of Fisheries Technology) and the ICICI Foundation have joined forces to maximise the exploitation of rural resources, particularly fisheries, for rural livelihood security. The ICICI Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of the ICICI Group, is collaborating with 10,000 farmers in Kerala’s Alappuzha district to create an integrated fisheries value chain initiative. Local fishermen who would benefit from improved food quality and quantity, as well as economic opportunities and encouragement of sustainable practises, would be the beneficiaries.
The Foundation’s mission is to promote sustainable livelihoods through the expansion of value chains, market connections, collaboration with government agencies, capacity building, and other activities. The initiatives are structured around four strategic pillars: scarcity, excess, inclusivity, and environmental protection.
CIFT will provide all technical training, advice, and support to the project’s designated beneficiaries as part of its function.
Suketu Kumar, Programme Head, ICICI Foundation, and Leela Edwin, Director, ICAR-CIFT, signed an MOU in Kochi to make the project operational. Leela Edwin emphasized the importance of carrying out the project in an environmentally friendly and holistic manner.
With CIFT and CUSAT as technical partners, the ICICI Foundation’s fish value chain project will be implemented initially in Alappuzha’s Pattanakkadu and Thykkattusserry block Panchayaths, with a focus on improving fish cultivation, practices through scientific practices, incremental income through value-added products, providing market access, and establishing micro-enterprises.
In fisheries, the Value Chain is used as a management tool to reduce processing costs, improve product quality and productivity, and reduce distribution costs. There are numerous benefits to studying the value chain in fisheries, including increased producer share, increased actor efficiency and effectiveness, quality assurance in product development, consumer satisfaction, and so on.
The value chain approach is a useful practical tool for assessing the status of fisheries and aquaculture development. It also examines future development opportunities and constraints. It assists key stakeholders such as fishermen, managers, and policymakers in streamlining their activities in a cost-effective manner.