Date: 2026-06-15Category: Press ReleaseState: Union GovernmentCountry: India
Union Minister Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh and Chief Minister Shri Samrat Choudhary Lay Foundation Stone of Integrated Aqua Park at Bhojpur and Inaugurate NFDB Regional Centre at Patna
**Executive Summary**
On 15 June 2026, the Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying and the Chief Minister of Bihar laid the foundation stone for a ₹31.21 crore Integrated Aqua Park in Bhojpur and inaugurated a National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) Regional Centre in Patna. These initiatives, funded under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), aim to modernize Bihar’s inland fisheries ecosystem through infrastructure development, technology adoption, and localized institutional support. The projects are designed to boost fish production, enhance farmer incomes, and establish Bihar as a leading hub for the Blue Economy in Eastern India.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**Integrated Aqua Park (Bhojpur)**
* **Infrastructure:** A state-of-the-art complex featuring carp and striped catfish hatcheries, brooder incubation facilities, biofloc tanks, and Recirculatory Aquaculture System (RAS) units.
* **Support Facilities:** Includes fish feed manufacturing plants, water quality and disease diagnostic laboratories, and quarantine facilities.
* **Capacity Building:** Equipped with a 50-bed residential training hostel to build the technical capacities of fish farmers.
* **Strategic Objectives:** Designed to ensure the availability of quality fish seed locally, reducing dependence on neighboring states for critical aquaculture inputs.
* **Tourism:** The site will also be developed as an eco-tourism destination.
**NFDB Regional Centre (Patna)**
* **Regional Hub:** Serves as the institutional and technical nerve centre for Bihar and neighboring eastern states.
* **Service Delivery:** Provides localized support for scheme convergence, digital outreach, and the preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPR).
* **Technical Focus:** Promotes advanced systems such as cage culture and precision aquaculture while providing continuous handholding to cooperatives and entrepreneurs.
* **Export Orientation:** Focuses on training for value addition and export-oriented aquaculture practices.
**Sectoral Growth and Investment**
* **Financial Investment:** Bihar has received approximately ₹900 crore over the last decade under PMMSY and the Blue Revolution.
* **Production Increase:** State fish production rose from 3.18 lakh tonnes in 2005 to 10.28 lakh tonnes in 2025-26.
* **National Standing:** Bihar has moved from the ninth to the fourth largest inland fish-producing state in India.
* **Market Opportunity:** The state currently supplies 89,600 MT of fish to neighboring states annually, with further opportunities identified in Jharkhand and Nepal.
**Impact Analysis**
**Fish Farmers, Cooperatives, and Entrepreneurs**
**Impact**
Stakeholders gain direct access to modern aquaculture technologies, high-quality seeds, and local diagnostic services, which reduces operational costs and improves productivity.
**Action Required**
Engage with the NFDB Regional Centre for technical training and utilize the Aqua Park’s facilities to transition to high-value and boneless fish varieties to meet market demand.
**Bihar State Government and Department of Fisheries**
**Impact**
The establishment of local institutional hubs streamlines the implementation of central schemes and strengthens the state’s position as a net supplier of fish.
**Action Required**
Oversee the development of the Integrated Aqua Park as an eco-tourism site and ensure effective local delivery of project support and capacity-building programs.
**Neighboring Eastern States and International Markets (Nepal)**
**Impact**
These regions benefit from enhanced regional supply chains and access to Bihar’s surplus fish production and technical expertise via the Patna hub.
**Action Required**
Collaborate with the NFDB Regional Centre for regional fisheries development and establish trade links to leverage Bihar’s increased production capacity.
Key Entities Referenced
Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY): The flagship central government scheme under which the Integrated Aqua Park and other fisheries initiatives are funded and approved.
National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB): The institutional body responsible for establishing the regional centre in Patna to provide technical expertise and implementation support for fisheries.
Integrated Aqua Park, Bhojpur: A state-of-the-art aquaculture complex designed for quality seed production, modern technology demonstration, and capacity building for fish farmers.
Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying: The primary Union Ministry overseeing the development of India's fisheries sector and the implementation of the Blue Economy vision.
Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying
Union Minister Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh and Chief
Minister Shri Samrat Choudhary Lay Foundation
Stone of Integrated Aqua Park at Bhojpur and
Inaugurate NFDB Regional Centre at Patna
₹31.21 crore Integrated Aqua Park to boost quality seed
production, technology adoption and value addition under
PMMSY
NFDB Regional Centre at Patna to serve as a knowledge and
institutional hub for fisheries development across Eastern
India
Twin initiatives mark a major milestone in strengthening
Bihar's inland fisheries ecosystem and advancing India's
Blue Economy
Posted On: 15 JUN 2026 9:52PM by PIB Delhi
In a significant boost to the fisheries sector and the Government of India's vision of a holistic and
sustainable Blue Economy, the Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying and
Panchayati Raj, Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh, along with the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Bihar, Shri Samrat
Choudhary, laid the foundation stone of the Integrated Aqua Park at Vanasaur Fish Seed Farm,
Bhojpur, and inaugurated the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) Regional Centre at
Patna, Bihar, on 15th June 2026.The Integrated Aqua Park, approved under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) at a
total cost of ₹31.21 crore, will function as a state-of-the-art integrated aquaculture complex comprising
carp and striped catfish hatcheries, brooder incubation facilities, biofloc tanks, Recirculatory Aquaculture
System (RAS) units, fish feed manufacturing facilities, water quality and disease diagnostic laboratories,
quarantine facilities, and a 50-bed residential training hostel. The project is designed to ensure the
availability of quality fish seed, demonstrate modern aquaculture technologies, build the capacities of fish
farmers, and reduce dependence on neighbouring states for critical aquaculture inputs, thereby improving
productivity and farmer incomes.
The newly inaugurated NFDB Regional Centre at Patna will serve as the institutional nerve centre for
Bihar and neighbouring eastern states, bringing technical expertise, scheme convergence, capacity
building, digital outreach, and field-level implementation support closer to beneficiaries. The Centre willpromote modern aquaculture systems including biofloc, RAS, cage culture and precision aquaculture
while providing continuous technical handholding to fishers, cooperatives and entrepreneurs.
Addressing the gathering, the Hon’ble Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying
and Panchayati Raj, Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh said that the two projects represent direct investments in
Bihar's fisheries future and reaffirm the Government of India's commitment to strengthening inland
fisheries. He noted that Bihar's fish production has grown from 3.18 lakh tonnes in 2005 to over 10.2 lakh
tonnes in 2025, reflecting the transformative impact of sustained investments in inland fisheries.
Emphasising the role of the new NFDB Regional Centre at Patna, support for training, capacity building,
value addition and export-oriented aquaculture would be key focus areas.
Hon'ble Chief Minister of Bihar, Shri Samrat Choudhary said that Bihar possesses immense untapped
potential in inland fisheries and that the State Government is committed to harnessing this potential
through infrastructure creation, technology adoption and institutional strengthening. He noted that
Jharkhand and Nepal present significant market opportunities for Bihar's fisheries sector.
Production must increasingly align with consumer preferences and market demand, including high-
value and boneless fish varieties. He also highlighted that the Integrated Aqua Park is a unique site that
will be developed as an eco-tourism destination.Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Abhilaksh Likhi, Secretary, Department of Fisheries, Government of
India, highlighted that over the last decade, Bihar has received nearly ₹900 crore under PMMSY & Blue
Revolution, including around ₹600 crore under PMMSY alone. With the establishment of the new NFDB
Regional Centre at Patna, training, capacity building, DPR preparation and project support will now be
delivered locally, strengthening Bihar's journey towards becoming a leading inland fisheries hub.
The Integrated Aqua Park and the NFDB Regional Centre together represent a comprehensive production-
to-institution continuum—one providing advanced technology, quality seed and infrastructure, and the
other delivering knowledge, capacity building and implementation support. Together, these initiatives are
expected to accelerate the adoption of modern aquaculture practices, strengthen the fisheries value chain
and contribute to higher incomes, employment generation and sustainable growth in Bihar’s fisheries
sector.
Backgrounder:
Bihar possesses one of the country's richest inland aquatic resource bases, with over 1.22 lakh hectares of
tanks and ponds, 9.5 lakh hectares of floodplain wetlands and derelict waters, 0.64 lakh hectares of
reservoirs, and more than 21,354 kilometers of rivers and canals, providing immense opportunities for
sustainable fisheries-led economic growth.
Government of India investments of over ₹902 crore in the fisheries sector during the last eleven years
have helped transform Bihar's fisheries landscape, with fish production more than doubling from 4.79
lakh MT in 2014-15 to 10.28 lakh MT in 2025-26, elevating the State from the ninth to the fourth largest
inland fish-producing state in the country. Bihar has also emerged as a net supplier of 89,600 MT of fish
to neighboring states annually.
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JP
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