Fisheries and aquaculture stocks experienced significant gains following Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's announcement of plans to develop 500 reservoirs and Amrut Sarovars in the Union Budget for financial year 2026-27. According to reports from Upstox, this budgetary allocation has provided a substantial boost to the sector's prospects and investor sentiment, with the government committing to integrated development of 500 reservoirs and Amrut Sarovars to strengthen the fisheries value chain in coastal areas and enable market linkages involving start-ups and women-led groups together with fish farmer producer organizations.
The fisheries sector witnessed strong intraday performance with Zeal Aqua leading gains at 7.8%, followed by Waterbase at 7.5%, Coastal Corporation at 4.9%, Avanti Feeds at 5.3%, and Apex Frozen Foods at 6.9%. As reported by Upstox, shares of aquaculture companies including Avanti Feeds, Apex Frozen Foods, Coastal Corp, Waterbase, Zeal Acqua and BKV Industries rose between 1%-6.5% after the finance minister's announcement. These gains reflect the market's positive response to the government's commitment to aquaculture development and the substantial scale of the proposed reservoir development initiative.
The fisheries reservoir development plan has generated significant investor interest across the aquaculture sector, with companies like Apex Frozen Foods, Avanti Feeds, Waterbase, Coastal Corporation, Zeal Aqua and BKV Industries all benefiting from the positive market sentiment. According to Upstox, the announcement has provided a clear policy direction for the fisheries and aquaculture industry, with the government's commitment to integrated development of 500 reservoirs and Amrut Sarovars expected to strengthen the fisheries value chain and enable comprehensive market linkages involving various stakeholders in the aquaculture ecosystem.