The State Government has decided to promote intensive aquaculture with high doses of subsidy to the tune of 50 per cent. Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Debi Prasad Mishra announced the State’s new Agriculture Policy with special reference to the fisheries and animal resources development sectors.
In Odisha with a Central Government subsidy of 20 per cent, water body creation is not taking place on a large scale. Hence, every year an additional 30 per cent subsidy would be provided under the State Agriculture Policy to each beneficiary with a ceiling of five hectares of land.
The scheme is extendable to both brackish and freshwater aquaculture, said Mishra. He said that by judiciously harnessing these resources, the fish production from the capture and capture-cum-culture fisheries could substantially be augmented to meet the domestic market demands.
For the first time, commercial duck farming, establishment of aqua shop and duck farming as part of integrated farming has been included in the Commercial Agriculture Enterprises (CAE), said the Minister.
A 50-per cent of subsidy would be provided for milking machine, manual/power-operated chaff cutter, cream separator, minis cattle/poultry/fish feed mill, Paneer making machine, Khoa making vat, deep freezer and bulk cooler and chillers.
Similar provisions of subsidy would also be provided for aerator for intensive aquaculture, fish preserving ice boxes, ice plants, aqua shops and dragnet/ water testing kits/ water pumps/ oxygen equipments, said Mishra.