Addressing a function organised by the Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA) on the 14th National Fish Farmers’ Day here on Thursday, Odisha Agriculture Minister Pradeep Maharathy called for partnership among various stakeholders to give best environment for the farming communities.
The Minister also underlined the need to work on aquaculture diversification, fish genomics, proteomics and nanotechnology, water budgeting, ecosystem health and bioremediation, supply of good quality cheap fish and prawn feed to the farmers.
Technologies produced by the CIFA must be used by the local farming community to enhance fish production and productivity in the State, said Maharathy.
CIFA Director P Jayasankar emphasised on the need for linkage among State Forest Department, CIFA, KVKs and other stakeholders for aquaculture development.
He further said that CIFA has significantly contributed towards the development of breeding and culture of economically important fish and shellfish, use of plastics in aquaculture, feeds for different life stages of fish, disease diagnostics kits, CIFABROODTM, hybridisation detection kit and other useful technologies for the farmers.
On the occasion, seven fish farmers from across the country were felicitated. A scientist-farmer interaction session was also held to provide solution to the problems faced by the farmers in pisciculture. Around 100 fish farmers from Odisha, West Bengal, Manipur and Bodoland Territorial Area District of Assam participated.