The Union government is set to host the Fisheries Investors & Exporters Conclave 2026 in Bhopal on Friday, 24 October 2026, with the goal of strengthening linkages between inland fisheries production and the broader investment, processing, cold-chain, and export ecosystem. The conclave aims to shift India's fisheries sector from a predominantly production-focused model toward an integrated value-chain approach, with a direct emphasis on improving market access and financial returns for fishermen and fish farmers.

What the Conclave Brings Together

The event will convene investors, exporters, fishers, more than 1,000 fish farmers from across Madhya Pradesh, fisheries cooperatives, Fish Farmer Producer Organisations (FFPOs), entrepreneurs, startups, processors, financial institutions, and research organisations. According to an official statement, deliberations will centre on enterprise development, access to finance, market linkages, and collaboration opportunities across the inland fisheries value chain.

'Deliberations will focus on enterprise development, access to finance, market linkages and opportunities for collaboration across the inland fisheries value chain, with particular emphasis on integrating inland States into the fisheries investment and export ecosystem,' the statement noted.

Key Policy Releases and Announcements

A central highlight of the conclave will be the formal release of the Madhya Pradesh Fisheries Investment and Export Guidelines 2026. The policy document is designed to facilitate investment across hatcheries, fish seed and feed production, reservoir and cage fisheries, aquatic animal health, processing, cold-chain infrastructure, logistics, value addition, and market development.

The programme will also feature the release of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on the export potential of inland states, along with the virtual inauguration of Integrated Cage Culture Units. Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and Panchayati Raj, will hand over administrative approval for the Integrated Development of Reservoirs and Amrit Sarovars in Madhya Pradesh.

Madhya Pradesh's Role as a Reservoir Fisheries Cluster

Madhya Pradesh has been notified by the Centre as a Reservoir Fisheries Cluster, positioning the landlocked state as a strategic node in India's inland fisheries expansion. These combined initiatives are expected to support investment in inland fisheries, promote productive utilisation of water bodies, and encourage enterprise development at scale.

India's Fisheries Sector: The Numbers Behind the Push

India's total fish production reached 197.75 lakh tonnes in 2024–25, with 151.60 lakh tonnes — nearly three-fourths of the total — originating from inland fisheries, underlining the sector's dominant contribution to national output. India's seafood exports were valued at ₹73,890 crore in 2025–26, reflecting the sector's significant foreign exchange earning potential.

This conclave comes at a time when the Centre has been pushing to replicate the marine export success story in landlocked states, where vast reservoir and freshwater resources remain underutilised. The event in Bhopal is seen as a test case for whether policy, investment, and infrastructure can converge in non-coastal states to meaningfully expand the fisheries value chain.