Pariksha SaathiSoreng, Sikkim is India's first notified organic fisheries cluster under PMMSY; SOP for organic certification of fisheries in the North-East launched
Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh visited Mangan district, Sikkim, on 2 November 2026 to review fisheries development initiatives under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), in line with the structured mechanism for periodic visits of Union Ministers to the Northeastern Region, the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying said. During the programme he launched the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Organic Certification of Fisheries in the Northeastern region and inaugurated projects worth ₹375 lakh under PMMSY, covering fisheries infrastructure such as hatcheries, feed mills and cold storage facilities and production technologies such as Biofloc and the Recirculatory Aquaculture System (RAS). Kisan Credit Cards were distributed to fish farmers, cheques were given to five fish farmers under the Mukhya Mantri Matsya Uthpadhan Yojana (MMMUY), and fish feed was distributed to 15 fish farmers from two fisheries cooperative societies. The Ministry said 34 fisheries production and processing clusters have been notified under PMMSY across the country, including organic fisheries clusters in Sikkim and Meghalaya, and that Soreng district, Sikkim, is India's first organic fisheries cluster under PMMSY; it focuses on ecologically healthy fish farming without harmful chemicals, antibiotics and pesticides, with special emphasis on Amur carp, Indian Major Carps (IMC) and trout. The SOP is meant to provide a structured framework for organic production and to support traceability across the value chain. Sikkim has also entered into an MoU with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) for institutional procurement of locally produced Rainbow Trout.
Drafted with AI assistance from the official PIB release linked above and checked against it by a second AI pass. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
On 6 January 2025, at the Northeastern Region States Meet 2025 in Guwahati, Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh, in the presence of Ministers of State S.P. Singh Baghel and George Kurian, announced the launch of the Organic Fisheries Cluster in Soreng District, Sikkim, under PMMSY. The Ministry said an organic fisheries and aquaculture cluster in Sikkim with special focus on amur carp along with other carps fits Sikkim's pioneering reputation in organic farming, and that the National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development (NABARD), a key stakeholder, would provide financial and technical support for the fisheries infrastructure and capacity building and would help by engaging fishers' cooperatives and forming fisheries-based Farmer Producer Organizations (FFPOs). The Department of Fisheries had already notified four fisheries-related clusters: the Pearl Cluster in Hazaribagh District of Jharkhand, the Ornamental Fisheries Cluster in Madurai District of Tamil Nadu, the Seaweed Cluster in the UT of Lakshadweep and the Tuna Cluster in Andaman & Nicobar.
Check yourself: at which event and in which city was the Soreng organic fisheries cluster launched, and where is the Pearl Cluster notified by the Department of Fisheries?
At the Northeastern Region States Meet 2025, in Guwahati; in Hazaribagh District of Jharkhand.
Revision task: from this release, note the district visited and the date, the SOP launched, the value and type of projects inaugurated, the number of clusters notified under PMMSY and the states with organic clusters, Soreng's focus species and the MoU with ITBP; from the note, the date, event and city of the Soreng cluster's launch, NABARD's role and the four clusters notified earlier.
Test yourself
According to the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, which district of Sikkim is India's first organic fisheries cluster under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY)?
Show the answer
Answer: Soreng
The Ministry said Soreng district, Sikkim, is India's first organic fisheries cluster under PMMSY, with special emphasis on Amur carp, Indian Major Carps and trout; 34 fisheries production and processing clusters have been notified under PMMSY, including organic fisheries clusters in Sikkim and Meghalaya. The Union Minister's visit on 2 November 2026 was to Mangan district.
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