Daijiworld Media Network - Shimla
Shimla, Apr 12: The Himachal Pradesh government has introduced a landmark policy by announcing a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for fish harvested from reservoirs, aiming to protect fishermen from market volatility and ensure stable incomes.
Under the new system announced by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the composite MSP for reservoir fish has been fixed at Rs 100 per kilogram. If market auction prices fall below this threshold, the government will provide a subsidy of up to Rs 20 per kilogram directly to fishermen through direct benefit transfer.
Officials said the initiative is designed to guarantee fair earnings, improve transparency, and ensure that financial support reaches beneficiaries directly in their bank accounts without intermediaries.
In another major relief measure, the state government has significantly reduced royalty charges on reservoir fishing. The royalty rate, which had already been cut from 15% to 7.5%, has now been further reduced to just 1% in the current fiscal year. This is expected to benefit more than 6,000 fishermen dependent on reservoir-based fishing.
The policy covers major reservoirs across the state, including Gobind Sagar, Pong Dam, Ranjit Sagar, Chamera, and Kol Dam, which support a variety of fish species such as silver carp, singhara, rohu, catla, mrigal, and grass carp.
The government noted that sustained efforts such as regular stocking of fingerlings have helped improve reservoir fish production, which has risen from 549.35 metric tonnes in 2022–23 to 818.02 metric tonnes in 2025–26.
Overall fish production in Himachal Pradesh has also grown, increasing from 19,019 metric tonnes in 2024–25 to 20,005 metric tonnes in 2025–26, reflecting the positive impact of ongoing fisheries development initiatives.
Officials said these reforms are expected to strengthen the rural economy, promote sustainable fishing practices, and improve livelihoods by expanding infrastructure and market access for fishing communities across the state.