Bhubaneswar, Feb. 9: The state is known for its 480km coastline, but when it comes to both production as well as consumption of fish and prawn, it lags far behind others.

On an average, an Odia consumes less than half kilo fish and prawn every month. The facts about the lifestyle of the people have been published in a report recently released by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard).

According to the state focus paper for Odisha, 2015-16, released by Nabard, some aspects of food habits of Odias have come to light. While Andhra Pradesh was the highest producer of fish at 2018.42 thousand tonnes in 2013-14, other states such as Bengal, Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh exceeded the production of Odisha that stood at 413.79 thousand tonnes in 2013-14.

When it comes to consumption, the 2014 statistics say, that Kerala was the highest consumer of fish and prawn. The monthly per capita consumption in urban areas stood at 1.958 kg for Kerala, 1.750 kg for Goa, 1.082 kg for Bengal and 0.441 kg for Odisha.

The survey reveals that for fish and prawns, an Odia spends just around Rs 30 every month, indicating that Odias do not spend on buying them since in villages they opt for fishing in local ponds and tanks.

Yet, the average fish production from ponds and tanks is only about 1,841kg per hectare and can be increased to 5,000kg per hectare by stocking good quality fingerlings and adopting scientific fish culture practices.

Comparing the monthly expenses for different food items such as fish and prawns, cereals, pulses, fruits and vegetables, the study gives an understanding of the preferences of people here.

The rural population of Odisha spends more on food than non-food items whereas it is just the reverse for urban areas. Also, the people in the state prefer cereals to vegetables. Every month an average Odia spends most on cereals and then one prefers to go for vegetables. Pulses comes next and only then does expenditures for fish and prawns follow. The report also states that an average Odia spends least on fruits.

The expenditure amount, however, varies for rural and urban areas.

While every month a rural Odia person spends Rs 166.55 for cereals, the expenditure on vegetables is Rs 68.64, pulses Rs 32.32, fish and prawns Rs 28.13 and only Rs 11.76 to buy fruits. An Odia person living in urban areas spends more every month but the trend in preference is similar. The person spends Rs 203.41 on cereals, Rs 88.96 on vegetables, Rs 43.57 on pulses, Rs 34 on fish and prawns and only Rs 25.60 on fruits.

The state focus paper has been prepared with reference to the Economic Survey of India (2013-14), the Economic Survey of Odisha (2013-14) and Handbook on Fisheries Statistics 2014 and the 64th and 68th National Sample Survey. The paper for 2015-16 may help the state government to make required provisions, said SK Kale, chief general manager, Nabard, Bhubaneswar.

"Referring to the latest Odisha economic survey statistics, we found that the rural people spend more on food than other items, whereas the urban population spends more on non-food items," said a senior official at Nabard, Bhubaneswar.

"Also, we found that the consumption of rice has declined from a period of 1993 to 2008 and onwards as well, whereas wheat consumption has increased marginally. It shows that more and more people have started taking chapattis for meals than before when rice was eaten three times a day in Odisha," he said.

Urban people generally consume more rice than wheat in comparison to the state's rural populace, he said.

The economic survey also said: "There are two sharp contrasts between Odisha and India: (a) in the food category, an average Indian spends more than double the amount an average person in Odisha spends on milk and milk products, and (b) in the non-food category, an average Indian spends considerable more on consumer services than does an average person in Odisha."

Apart from the food habits, various other indicators have been mentioned in the report that sheds light on the lifestyle of Odias. According to census 2011, nearly 45 per cent of the total households avail banking facility in the state. Thus, 53.09 lakh households are yet to be covered under basic banking services.