Sikkim's Soreng is India's first notified organic fisheries cluster under PMMSY; SOP for organic fish certification in the North-East launched

4 November 2026 · English Agriculture

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Topics: Agriculture · 4 November 2026 Current Affairs (UPSC / TNPSC / SSC / RRB)

News

Under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), Soreng district of Sikkim is India's first notified 'Organic Fisheries Cluster'. On a visit to Sikkim on 2 Nov 2026, Union Fisheries Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh) launched the 'Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Organic Certification of Fisheries' for the North-Eastern region and inaugurated PMMSY projects worth ₹3.75 crore in Sikkim. The cluster aims at fish farming without harmful chemicals, antibiotics and pesticides; target species are Amur carp, Indian Major Carps and trout.

Key facts

Cluster	Soreng district, Sikkim – India's first notified organic fisheries cluster (first announced 6 Jan 2025, Guwahati)
SOP	SOP for organic certification of fisheries – North-Eastern region; 2 Nov 2026
Launched by	Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh)
Projects	₹3.75 crore; Biofloc and RAS technologies
Species	Amur carp, Indian Major Carps, trout
Clusters	34 fisheries clusters notified under PMMSY; organic clusters in Sikkim and Meghalaya
Market link	Sikkim Govt – MoU with ITBP for procurement of rainbow trout

Background

• PMMSY: the 'Blue Revolution' scheme for fisheries launched on 10 Sept 2020, implemented by the Department of Fisheries, Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. Its 'cluster approach' links production, processing, value addition and marketing within one area – priority clusters include pearl (Hazaribagh, Jharkhand), ornamental fish (Madurai), seaweed (Lakshadweep) and tuna (Andaman & Nicobar).
• Sikkim: declared India's first fully organic farming State in 2016 – organic fish farming builds on that base. On 21 Dec 2021 Sikkim created two new districts – Soreng (from West Sikkim) and Pakyong (from East Sikkim) – and renamed the old ones Gangtok (East), Mangan (North), Gyalshing (West) and Namchi (South); it now has six districts.
• Fish science: Indian Major Carps (IMC) – catla, rohu and mrigal – are the base of composite fish culture. Amur carp is an improved strain of the common carp. Rainbow trout is a 'cold-water fish' needing cool, flowing water and is farmed in the Himalaya. Biofloc uses microbes to turn waste into fish feed; RAS (Recirculating Aquaculture System) filters and reuses water in tanks.
• Economy: India is the world's second-largest producer of fish and of aquaculture. Organic fish fetch premium prices at home and abroad; the SOP ensures certification and traceability.

Tamil Nadu link: the Madurai ornamental fisheries cluster is one of PMMSY's priority clusters. The Tamil Nadu Dr J. Jayalalithaa Fisheries University (TNJFU), set up in 2012 exclusively for fisheries education, is headquartered at Nagapattinam; the Fisheries College at Thoothukudi and the Dr M.G.R. Fisheries College at Ponneri are among its constituent colleges.

Source: PTI / The Week (1 Nov 2026); HubNetwork, Daily Gadyal (2 Nov 2026); PIB (6 Jan 2025), The Tribune (7 Jan 2025); EastMojo (Sikkim districts, 22 Dec 2021); tnjfu.ac.in

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