Economic and agricultural contributions of fisheries in India: a comparison between inland and marine fisheries

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of marine and inland fisheries on economic and agricultural growth in India using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model, with robustness checks through the Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS) method, incorporating capital and labor as additional determinants. The findings reveal that marine fisheries positively influence economic growth in the short run but have no significant long-term impact, whereas they enhance agricultural growth in the long run but negatively affect it in the short term. However, inland fisheries contribute positively to economic growth in both time horizons but adversely impact agricultural growth. Additionally, capital investment fosters economic growth but hampers agricultural growth, while labor negatively affects both sectors over time. Based on these findings, the study proposes targeted policies, including temporary subsidies, tax incentives, and infrastructure development to maximize the short-term economic benefits of marine fisheries, while ensuring long-term sustainability through marine eco-tourism, and responsible fishing practices. For agriculture, coastal resource management programs and environmental regulations can mitigate short-term disruptions, whereas fish-based organic fertilizers and integrated coastal aquaculture systems can maximize long-term benefits. To balance the impact of capital investment, policies should encourage sustainable farming technologies and efficient land-use planning. Additionally, labor productivity can be improved through skill development, mechanization, and agri-tech adoption. This study’s novel contribution lies in segregating the effects of marine and inland fisheries on economic and agricultural growth, making it the first of its kind in the Indian context, providing valuable insights for policymakers to optimize fisheries’ role in fostering sustainable development.