FISH PROTIEN FOR MODERN INDIA

Fish protein 

          In this blog, we will see the importance of fish protein. My love for fish is not only because I am a fisheries graduate, that amazing creature always fascinated me from my childhood. Its importance was well known during my college days. To my knowledge the fish protein is the only animal protein which had all most all of nutrients available in the plants too, yes definitely others animals cannot compete with fish in the arena of nutrition even in the land.I have tried to write this blog not in academic ways even then someplace I deviated please bear with me.

The nutritional health of people of India

          The people of India especially pf children from backward aggregation are very much affected by the silent neglected monster the malnutrition, undernutrition .., yes it has so many names. Readers I can get help from reports of international organizations to get credential to my thought. which is as follows WORLD HUNGER INDEX places India at 102/117 countries behind Bangladesh and Pakistan with the score of 30.3 which implies serious category. INDIAN COUNCIL OF MEDICAL RESEARCH  says that major cause of death of under-five children death is malnutrition even though we are blessed with a lot of nutritious fish protein both from inland and marine side. Next report comes from an agency it is a well-known institute for its work in the improvement of children all over the world -UNICEF

some statistics 

1. 38% of children younger than 5 years of age in India are stunted. 

2. India is at 10th spot for the highest number of underweight children.

3.  India is at 17th spot for the highest number of stunted children , the list goes on for different dimensions 

The nutritional profile of fish

                      It is very difficult to give an ideal nutritional composition of fish as thousands of species and hundreds of groups are there here is one representative picture from fao materials 

 

way to make fish as health and wealth booster 

 SHORT TIME GOALS 

                  The cheap protein and price must get attention from policymakers, the fish can be provided in the midday fish meals and other food security program.

some of my suggestive modification to government schemes 

National Food Security Act, 2013. NFSA it concerns all food security programmes into statutory rights so incorporation of not only vegetable the animal food is also very vital for poor and daily wage earners 

1.  NFSA a guarantees age-appropriate meal, free of charge  one free meal for children in the age group 6-14 years in schools were fish could be the best choice
2. The women who accepts the fish can be provided with that during pregnancy period as it will bring better results to maternal mortality rate and infant mortality rate

For rich and middle-class instead of antibiotic fed other animal protein, their confidence can be win for fish by

schemes akin to following other government schemes like 

1. Participatory Guarantee Scheme/Participatory Guarantee Scheme- for organic fish production 
2. soil health card -pond and water condition  health card for fish farmers to prove devoid of banned chemicals

As the government  has the agenda Har Medh Par Ped so is machli so  important to look for  changes akin to the above points 

LONG TERM GOALS 

                       In a long time the people habits must be changed so that fish must be incorporated as chicken now the many dishes should be introduced from the other cultures as for other food which must not only affordable but also home repairable without the need of costly equipment. Here some of the government stimuli are needed like not new but schemes implemented in other Agri and allied sectors     

• Agri insurance Fasal Bhima yojan must be extended to fish farmers of inland and mariculture.
• e-RaKAM  e-Rashtriya Kisan Agri Mandi (E-RaKAM) is a digital platform portal enables farmers to sell their agricultural products through auction across the India must be extended to fish and fish products 
• National Programme on use of Space Technology for Agriculture must be included with Project machli
• Quality mark for fishes based on species, location, culture,

 NEEDS ATTENTION 

                          The small creature must not be judged so easily. so far attention it needs was not given but now some important it got after the creation of separate ministry at union level. I hope the role of ministry not confined to follow up the previous one it must work in tandem with other ministries to popularize the fish food as other no vegetarian food. It must create the fishery council to work out standards in fisheries .so that in future the domestic consumption will be based on our own standards as now follows mostly standard of foreign origin which is nothing but legal way to overcome the international trade watch organizations norms the NON-TARIFF BARRIER.(during my ug though we had NTB in our syllabus it has not attained much attention please read it is very interesting especially the developing (india) countries bargaining power ).