Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF)

The government of India encourages private entrepreneurs and fish farmers in the creation of fisheries infrastructure facilities. To achieve 20 million tons of fish production by 2022-23, the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) was created with an estimated fund outlay of Rs 7522.48 Crore. The Current article briefs the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund. Learn more: Blue Revolution

Objective of FIDF

The objective of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) is as follows:

To Create and modernize the capture & culture fisheries infrastructure
To create Marine Aquaculture Infrastructure
To create and modernize the Inland Fisheries Infrastructure
To reduce post-harvest losses and improve domestic marketing facilities through infrastructure support
To bridge the resource gap and facilitate the completion of ongoing infrastructure projects

Advantages of the FIDF scheme

The advantages of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) are listed as follows:

No limits for the number of units / Area
The scheme provides a maximum repayment period of 12 years inclusive of a moratorium of 2 years on repayment of principal

Eligible Entities for FIDF Scheme

The eligible entities for the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) are as follows:

State Governments / Union Territories
State-Owned Corporations/State Government Undertakings/ Government Sponsored / Supported Organizations Fisheries Cooperative Federations (including FISHCOPFED etc.)
Cooperatives, collective groups of fish farmers & fish produce groups
Panchayat Raj Institutions/Self Help Groups (SHGs)/ NGOs
SCs/STs/Marginal Farmers, Women & entrepreneurs, Self Help Groups and cooperatives of this, etc.
Private companies/entrepreneurs
Physically disabled
Any other institution/entity to be decided by the Government

Eligible Investment Activities

Eligible Investment Activities of Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) is as follows:

Establishment of Fishing Harbors
Establishment of Fish Landing Centers
Infrastructure for Mariculture and Advanced Inland Fisheries (Ocean farming, Cage Culture, etc.)
Construction of Ice Plants (both for marine and inland fisheries)
Development of Cold Storages (both for marine and inland fisheries)
Fish Transport and Cold Chain Network Infrastructure
Development of Modern Fish Markets
Setting up of Brood Banks
Development of Hatcheries
Development of Aquaculture
Modernization of State Fish Seed Farms
Establishment of state of art Fisheries Training Centres
Fish Processing Units
Fish Feed Mills/Plants
Establishment of Cage culture in Reservoirs
Introduction of Deep Sea Fishing Vessels
Establishment of Disease Diagnostic Laboratories
Development of Mariculture
Establishment of Aquatic Quarantine Facilities
Any other innovative projects/activities designed to enhance fish production/productivity/value

Nodal Loaning Entities

NABARD – National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Bank – State/UT government projects
NCDC – National Cooperative Development Corporation – Cooperative Sector either through State Governments/UTs or directly to Eligible Cooperative Societies & Federations
Scheduled Banks – All the Private Beneficiaries/ Private Entrepreneurs.

Quantum of Loan - FIDF

The Government will provide 80% of the estimated/actual project cost to the eligible applicant as part of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF).

Margin Money

Beneficiaries are needed to contribute at least 20% of the project cost as margin money to get the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF).

Contribution of margin money is not mandatory for States/UTs, State Entities implemented projects
The concerned States/UTs, State entities, may decide the contribution and size of the margin money preferably on lines of RIDF, depending upon the availability of budget in their respective states/UTs.

Note: The loan amount may be enhanced during project implementation if any occurred like natural calamity, technical compulsions, change in the SoRs, and any other unavoidable circumstances. The loan amount will be enhanced within a reasonable time and not more than two years from the date of approval of the particular project.

Interest Subvention and Lending Rate of Interest

Interest subvention of Up to 3% per annum will be provided for all entities for the development of identified fisheries-based infrastructure facilities.
The lending Rate of interest is not lower than 5% per annum for all EEs for the development of identified fisheries-based infrastructure facilities.

The interest subvention as at 9.1 above also includes the cost of reduction of interest rate and uniform margin of 0.6% towards funds management charge and risk coverage costs to the NLEs. The Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying shall pay the interest subvention amount to NABARD/ NLEs till the due outstanding loan and interests are fully paid off.

Loan Disbursement

The loan lending period under the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) is 5 years from 2018-19 to 2022-23. Projects wherein the first installment of loan is released before March 2023, will be eligible for the release of the remaining installments, within 2 year period i.e. before 31st March 2025 and all such releases are eligible for interest subventions under FIDF

Repayment Details

The maximum repayment period for the loan under the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) is 12 years inclusive of a moratorium of 2 years on repayment of principal. NLEs should ensure that the maximum repayment period should not exceed 12 years from the date of first disbursement inclusive of a moratorium of 2 years on repayment of principal.

Formulation of Detailed Project Report (DPR)

The Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) / self Contained Proposals are mandatory for getting the Concessional financing under the FIDF. Detailed projects especially for infrastructure and large magnitude projects shall be formulated based on the following:

Identification of suitable site,
Necessary engineering and socio-economic investigations and surveys
Planning and designing of the facilities
Model studies wherever required etc.
The EEs shall submit the DPR/self Contained Proposal in triplicate copies

Documents Required

The documents to be submitted along with the Detailed Project Report are given here: A detailed project report should consist of

General Details about the project
Land documents
Detailed cost Estimates (As per the latest Schedule of Rates)
Engineering Drawings and layout
Quotations for all the machinery and equipment
Technical Feasibility
Economic Analysis and Viability

Submission of the Project Proposal

The complete DPRs/self-contained proposals for seeking concessional financing under the FIDF shall be submitted by the EEs at the following address:

To Joint Secretary (Fisheries) Department of Fisheries,
Ministry of Fisheries, A
Animal Husbandry and Dairying,
Krishi Bhawan,
New Delhi-110001 15.2

A copy of the proposal shall also be submitted to the Nodal Implementing Agency(NIA) at the following address:

The Chief Executive,
National Fisheries Development Board,
Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries,
Animal Husbandry and Dairying, GoI, Pillar No:235,
PVNR Expressway, SVPNPA Post,

Hyderabad-500052 NIA would receive the proposals from the concerned State Governments/UTs in respect of State/UT owned/implemented projects and directly from the other EEs (wherever the State/UT financial contribution is not involved in the implementation of the intended project under the FIDF). Except for Private Entrepreneurs/Companies, all the other EEs shall route their applications through Nodal Departments of their respective State/UTC The Nodal Implementing Agency (NIA) of NFDB will scrutinize, evaluate, and appraise the proposal submitted by us and place it before Central Approval and Monitoring Committee (CAMC) for approval. CAMC will consider the proposals placed before it and accord in-principle approval to projects signifying approval for grant of interest subvention and recommend such approved proposals to the NLEs for considering sanction of loans. The lending decision would be left to the Banks and NABARD as per their policy and regulatory guidelines. NLEs to send a copy of the loan sanction to CAMC and NIA for information.