Mumbai: The ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education (ICAR-CIFE) and the Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Cooperative Management (VAMNICOM) took a significant step towards advancing cooperative management in the fisheries sector by signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Monday, August 26, 2024. The MoU aligns with the vision of establishing 200,000 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), and dairy and fishery cooperatives in every gram panchayat.
Fisheries in India support the livelihood of 14.46 million people, and this partnership aims to integrate advanced technology and promote value addition in fishery cooperatives. ICAR-CIFE and VAMNICOM will explore new opportunities in fishery education, research, capacity building, and consultancy to strengthen the fisheries ecosystem.
The MoU was signed at the ICAR-CIFE campus in Mumbai and featured Dr. Ravishankar CN, Director and Vice Chancellor of ICAR-CIFE, and Dr. Hema Yadav, Director of VAMNICOM. Scientists, faculty members, and key team members from both institutions attended the event.
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The MoU aims to enhance collaboration between ICAR-CIFE and VAMNICOM, facilitating better cooperative management practices in fisheries. Both institutions will work together on research, training, and development initiatives that promise to improve cooperative management strategies in the sector.
Dr. Ravishankar CN expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration, emphasising that the MoU marks a pivotal moment for both institutions. “This partnership will strengthen our research capabilities and expand our reach in delivering impactful training programmes. We are excited about the potential advancements in cooperative management that will emerge from this collaboration,” he said.
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Dr. Hema Yadav shared similar sentiments, highlighting the mutual benefits of the MoU. “By joining forces with ICAR-CIFE, we are taking a monumental step towards integrating cooperative management principles into the fisheries sector. This collaboration will enable us to leverage each other’s expertise and resources to drive innovation and improve practices across the board,” she noted.
The signing of this MoU marks the beginning of a strategic alliance focused on achieving sustainable livelihood development and operational excellence in the fisheries sector through improved cooperative management. Both institutions are dedicated to combining their strengths to address key challenges and drive progress in this critical field.
