Aizawl, September 2026: Chief Minister Shri Lalduhoma today chaired a review meeting with the Fisheries Department at the CM Conference Hall. Fisheries Minister Shri Lalthansanga, officials of the Fisheries Department, and officials from the Finance and DP&AR Departments attended the meeting.
At the outset, the Chief Minister said that the purpose of the review meeting was not to look for faults, but to engage directly with officials involved in implementation so that greater progress could be achieved. He said that discussions should be open and constructive, with the aim of making the best use of the time available. The meeting subsequently reviewed the ongoing activities and future plans of the Fisheries Department.
Key highlights of the Fisheries Department's activities and initiatives are as follows:
21 posts in the Fisheries Department have been filled during the present Government.
River conservation activities are currently being undertaken at 95 locations in collaboration with YMA. The agreement with YMA is renewed every two years.
Mizoram has around 6,000 hectares of water bodies, including 16 major rivers. The State also has around 8,000 hectares of major reservoirs, including Serlui and Tuirial HEP reservoirs. The natural lakes, Tamdil and Palak Dil, together cover about 5 hectares. The State is estimated to have around 24,000 hectares of potential area for fish culture, of which only 26.3% is currently being utilised. The meeting stressed the need to establish more accurate data on the actual extent of fish culture potential in the State.
There are currently 14 fish hatcheries operational in Mizoram, from among which empanelled suppliers have also been registered.
Under Bana Kaih Phase-I, 201 families have been covered under the CM Special Package, with loans extended to 13 families. Under Phase-II, 84 families have been covered under the CM Special Package, with loans extended to 5 families.
Fish production increased from 4,304.69 MT in 2020-21 to 8,020 MT in 2025-26, which is estimated to meet 58.28% of Mizoram's fish requirement. The current average productivity is 1.21 MT per hectare. It was noted that substantial growth can be achieved by increasing productivity per hectare without necessarily creating additional ponds.
The number of fish farmers increased from 16,486 in 2020-21 to 22,661 in 2025-26. Productivity also increased from 0.78 MT/ha/year in 2020-21 to 1.21 MT/ha/year in 2025-26. However, there remains considerable scope for further improvement in productivity.
From the current year, fish farmers are being provided Group Accident Insurance under PMMSY without any financial contribution from the beneficiaries. So far, 4,302 fish farmers in Mizoram have been insured.
A Fish Cold Storage at Ngaizel was constructed and inaugurated in November last year. Efforts are currently underway to provide a more reliable electricity supply to the facility.
A Fish Farmer Training Centre is under construction at Lengpui. Under PMMSY 2.0, the Central Government has approved Rs. 50 crore in principle for the establishment of a Fish Marketing Centre. A project has also been proposed for an Integrated Aqua Park at Zawlnuam.
Plans have been prepared for the integrated development of Serlui-B and Tuirial reservoirs under PMMSY 2.0.
The High Level Task Force on Sustainable Aquaculture & Livelihood has envisaged Mizoram producing 20,000 MT of fish by 2030. To achieve this target, the meeting noted that, in addition to PMMSY 2.0, a dedicated Chief Minister's Blue Mizoram Mission could be taken up. The Department has already begun preparing a proposal for the Mission, and the Chief Minister directed the Department to prepare it at the earliest.
Fisheries Minister Shri Lalthansanga expressed his appreciation to the Chief Minister for openly discussing the Department's development plans, challenges and issues and for providing guidance and support. He expressed confidence that the Fisheries Department would make further progress with the Chief Minister's support.
