The fish seeds production had been increased in as many as 64 hatcheries and 57 fish farms in Chhattisgarh. The State Fisheries Department has set a target of 598 crore ‘Spaan’ production this year. About 149 crore Standard Fry fish seeds will be produced from the ‘Spaan’. This includes Katla, Rohu and Mrugal species fish seed.
The officers of the Fisheries Department said that the Fisheries Department, private and Fisheries Federation owned hatcheries and farms had started the fish seeds production in June itself. About 116 crore ‘Spaan’ has been produced till date. Standard fry seeds are made out of ‘Spaan’. It takes about 20 days to make Standard fry from ‘Spaan’.
Fisheries Department Minister Brijmohan Agrawal said that fish rearing is highly profitable as a part of allied agriculture activity in Chhattisgarh. Agrawal said that Chhattisgarh is now self-sufficient in fish seed production.
He said that Chhattisgarh stands sixth in fish production in the country. About 2.849 lakh metric tonnes of fish had been produced in the year 2014-15. It may be recalled that the State Government will open modern fish retailing centres in cities of Raipur, Durg and Bilaspur soon.
High-quality fish will be available to buyers at these centres, officials informed in a meeting presided over by Fisheries Minister Brijmohan Agrawal recently.
The Fish Retailing Centre in Raipur will be opened at Jawahar Nagar Market. Wholesale fish market will be opened at Mandi Gate, Pandri. The Raipur Municipal Corporation will operate both the fish-selling centres, they stated.
Fisheries Department will operate the fish-selling centres at Bilaspur and Durg. The State government has sanctioned Rs2 crore for the purchase of fishing nets and ice-boxes which will be distributed free of cost to the beneficiaries.
The officers said that ‘Cage Culture’ system of fish-rearing programmes was started in Chhattisgarh. The State tops the list of Cage Culture pattern of fish production. They are grown in in Saroda Sagar, Sheer Pani, Gonga canal, Jhumka waters and Tourenga waters.
About 350 Metric Tonnes (MTs) of fish was produced with Cage Culture system. The Department is operating a scheme of constructing houses for fishermen. About 400 houses will be built for fishermen families in 2015-16.
The Department officers revealed that Chhattisgarh is self-sufficient in fish production. The fish seed needed for fishermen is produced in the State iteslf.
The progressive farmers are producing 8,000 to 12,000 kilograms per hectare of fish like Katla, Rohu and Mrugal varieties. About 70 tonnes per hectare of Pongosiasis variety of fish is also produced in the State.
In February this year, the State government had announced that about 39000 fishermen of the State would get employment through fish farming in the Anicuts and barrages constructed over rivers and nullahs.
The government has also banned breeding, farming, transport and trade of Big Head and Mangur species of fishes in the State. Decisions in this regard were taken by the State Cabinet in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Raman Singh recently.
In the meeting it was resolved that the fishermen should be included as members of more than 1000 Fishermen Cooperative Societies of the State. They would be given opportunity of fish farming in the 400 Anicuts constructed in past few years and the Anicuts and barrages under construction in the State.
The Anicuts and barrages would be allotted to the Fishermen Cooperative Societies by the Directorate of Fisheries as per procedure. The water reservoirs with capacity greater than 1000 hectares would be allotted to Fisheries Federation which will auction these bodies as per procedure.
Those who get these reservoirs through tender will provide advance techniques of fish farming to the fishermen besides employment to them.
The State Cabinet had also decided to ban the breeding, farming, transportation and trade of Big Head and Mangur fishes in the State. These foreign fishes eat the local species and thereby posing a potential threat on the existence of local species.
There was a quantum jump in fish production in Chhattisgarh which now stands higher than the national average, officials claimed. The fish production was 2,975 kilo per hectare in 2013-14, while the national average is 2,650 kilo per hectare, they stated.
Moreover, Chhattisgarh is one of the states in the country which has a college exclusively offering courses in Fisheries and Allied Sciences. The college is located in Kawardha town of Kabirdham district.
Incidentally, with growing focus even on imparting Agricultural education, there arenow a total of 31 Government and private Agriculture colleges in the Chhattisgarh in which 1700 students are pursuing their studies.
In year 2013-14, fish seeds worth Rs1.22 crores were produced. More than two lakh fishermen have been provided employment opportunities through development of 94 per cent of the total area of 1.635 lakh hectares is available in the State for fishery.
Giving due importance to Agriculture, the State Government presented its first agricultural budget in year 2013-14. Farmers need cash for various agricultural activities right from sowing to reaping.
The Chhattisgarh Kamdhenu University has been established to educate and promote research work in the field of animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries. The State government has sent a proposal of Rs10 crores to ICAR for modernization of Agri-farms under the Agriculture Department.
