Bhubaneswar: The state government will set up an animal and fishery sciences university in Odisha.

This was revealed by Fisheries and Animal Resources Development (F&ARD) Minister Gokulananda Mallik at an event in the capital city here to mark World Fisheries Day today.

The F&ARD Department has sought the required approval from Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to establish the university, said the Minister.

The Minister also revealed that the state government would establish an aqua park at Sambalpur with an allocation of Rs 100 crore.

The aqua park will come up on around 100 acres of land at Basantpur in Sambalpur. The state government will take the necessary steps to make Odisha self-reliant in freshwater fish production.

“Now, the state is producing 11.24 lakh tonnes of fish annually. Odisha is the fourth largest fish producer in India. We are now exporting 2.92 lakh tonnes of fish and 84,000 tonnes of processed seafood to abroad. On the other hand, we are procuring 33,000 tonnes of fish from other states,” revealed the Minister.

The state government has set a target to export freshwater fish to abroad in the next five years. The per capita fish consumption in Odisha now stands at 18 kg, said Mallik.

“The state government in association with the Centre has initiated measures to develop the fisheries sector in Odisha. Altogether Rs 2,300 crore will be spent for this purpose. Several new fish markets and jetties will come up in the state under the development programme,” said Mallik.