SRINAGAR: The Department of Fisheries J&K Government has initiated various developmental programmes to boost fish production in the state which has reached to 19.95 thousand metric tonnes. The Jammu & Kashmir State has already achieved a breakthrough in commercial trout production by the establishment of village Trout Farming Project, Kokernag being a mother producing centre in J&K State which is one of the biggest trout project in Asia.
In 2005, the Department of Fisheries introduced carp fish culture in private sector by constructing demonstration ponds. Subsequently, during 2005 the scheme was taken-up under Prime Ministers Employment Programme where more than 400 beneficiaries have been covered and 236 trout raceways under private sector have been constructed till date. Owing to the successful results of propagation of fish culture in the private sector, the department continued it under various state and centrally sponsored schemes. In 2009, the Department of Fisheries for the first time in the history of the State successfully propagated Trout culture in the private sector to provide livelihood avenues to the education un-employed youth. Presently the beneficiaries are provided with a onetime package of Rs.1.50 lakhs for carp ponds which includes constructed cost, provision of inlet and outlet, feed, seed equipment etc. In the trout culture the beneficiaries are provided with a package of Rs. 2.40 lakhs which includes construction of one pair of concrete raceways, feed, seed, equipment etc. In order to acquaint the selected beneficiaries with carp and trout culture, the department provides technical expertise at various levels. In this regard, the department has developed Regional Fish Farmers Development Agency (RFFDA), which acts as a nodal agency in providing the training programme to the beneficiaries and tour visits programme.
Chief Project Officer, RFFDA, Mr. M. M. Bazaz informed that the agency is an organized wing of the department conducts training programme in all districts and today on 28-10-2013, it is being conducted at Training Cum demonstration Centre, Pandach, Srinagar under RKVY (National Mission for Protein Supplement) where the private fish farmers of District Srinagar, Ganderbal and Budgam were imparted technical-know-how about the modern techniques of fish culture.
In trout sector under the scheme National Mission for Protein Supplement (NMPS) a beneficiary incurs Rs.3 lakhs out of which 2.40 lakhs is being provided by the department (Rs.0.60 lakhs is beneficiarys hare). In Carp culture under the scheme NMPS a beneficiary incurs Rs. 2 lakhs out of which Rs. 1.50 lakhs is being provided by the department (Rs.0.50 lakhs is the beneficiary share).
The main objective of the training programme is to improve the professional skills of the fish farmers regarding the exponential growth of their fish production.
The training programmes are to be conducted in each and every district as per the instructions of Minister of State Fisheries & Co-operatives, Dr. Manohar Lal Sharma with the objectives that the fallow land shall be utilized for fish culture in order to provide employment avenues to the un-employed educated youths of J&K state. The Director Fisheries Mr. R.K. Dogra also attended the function and is monitoring the programmes meticulously. He welcomed the farmers in the said training programme and advised them to attend such programmes as it shall prove useful for them. He stressed upon that the concerned officers to ensure that all the farmers shall participate in the programme so that it shall in turn increase their production manifold after acquiring latest technical know-how from the lectures being conducted by the officers of this department during such events which are being organized in every district. Bali, Joint Director Fisheries (Projects Mr. R.P.Singh) and Joint Director Fisheries Kashmir Division, Mr. R. K. Pandita also attended the said programme.
The interaction session was also conducted by the officers of the department and the private fish farms shared their experiences and success stories with the achievement of high income.
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