The Chhattisgarh Government has rolled out a special action plan for promoting Pisciculture through ‘cage culture' within an irrigation reservoir or Anicut that is built in an area of more than 200 hectares.

The guidelines concerning the plan were released by the Fisheries Department officials at the Mantralaya here.

As per the department officials, the lease for developing the reservoirs into cage culture will soon be kickstarted. “Notably, Chhattisgarh ranks among the leading States for fish breeding through cage culture,” officials stated.

At present, cage culture through Pisciculture is done at Ghumka, Saroda, Chirpani, Ghonga and Torenga reservoirs.

Reservoirs and managed by associations like Fishermen’s Committee functioning under the Fisheries Department who have been granted a lease for a longer tenure would receive a lease for a maximum area of two hectares.  A lease holder presently managing a reservoir can further promote cage culture. He or she will have to pay a separate amount to the Department for setting up the cage. lease holders not keen towards cage culture can allow the interested fishermen within the

framed rules of the Government.

The lease amount for putting up the cage is Rs100 per square meter of the reservoir. After a span of every two years, the amount per square meter will be increased by Rs10.

Interested fishermen will have to obtain a ‘No Objection Certificate’ (NOC) from the Irrigation Department for beginning cage culture at the reservoirs. Meanwhile, the lease holder of the reservoir will not receive any kind of funds on behalf of the state Government.

However, the Government has provided an option to the fishermen to purchase seeds for cage culture from private parties if the same is unavailable at the departmental level. Also, the Government has decided to host cage culture workshops on regular basis.