TC Bureau Shimla: Himachal Pradesh will
start land-based fish farming using recirculation aquaculture systems (RAS)
technology under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), a flagship
scheme for sustainable development of fisheries, officials said on Sunday.
The state plans to
set up 15 fish ponds in the next five years. The first batch of fish
farmers will be sent to the National Fisheries Development Board in Hyderabad
for training in aquaculture techniques under cold water fisheries.
The RAS technology
is a new way to farm fish under which fish are reared in indoor tanks with
limited use of water in a controlled environment, instead of traditional method
of fish rearing in water reservoirs, open tanks, ponds and rivers.
A regular supply of
limited quantity of clean water is ensured at a controlled temperature and with
a dissolved oxygen content that is optimum for growth in a closed and
containment system.
The method is ideal
for fish farmers during shortage of water in summer as farmers can supplement
their income with little use of water through inland fisheries using the RAS
technology.
As per the state
Fisheries Department, a total of 40 tonnes per unit annual fish production will
be achieved in low hills, while in high-altitude areas, there will be four to
19 tonnes capacity units, which will meet the growing demand of trout fish in
metropolitan areas.
With the operation
of all 15 fish farms, approximately 270 tonnes of fish is expected to be
produced annually by opting the RAS technology, Fisheries Minister Virender
Kanwar said.
He said the rainbow
trout will be reared in coldwater, while in normal water, pangasius, tilapia
and common carp will be reared.
Such fish farms
will be set up initially in Kullu and Kinnaur districts. To promote
private investments, the state has plans to provide incentives to set up a fish
farm amounting to 40 per cent of the total unit cost under the scheme to the
general category and 60 per cent to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and woman
farmers.
The new fish farms
will help farmers raise different varieties of fish throughout the year using
lesser water to produce a higher yield and also enables reuse of the wastewater
for agriculture, domestic and irrigation purposes, Kanwar added.
