Big boost to pisciculture

Penakacherla (Anantapur): Fish production is receiving a major boost in the district, thanks to the Krishna river water diversion to the district and the Fisheries department taking advantage of the water resources and formulating fish culture schemes on a wider scale.

In the 2017-18 financial year due to the efforts put in by Assistant Director (AD) of Fisheries Hira Naik and encouraging fisheries cooperatives in the district, 8,070 metric tonnes of fish had been produced as against 6,900 metric tonnes in 2016-17 fiscal.

The PABR Dam and the Penakacherla Dam and hundreds of village and irrigation tanks and canals connecting the main reservoirs gave pisciculture, a boom. Kalla, Rohu, Mrigal and Bangaru Teega being raised in the said water bodies. In the 2017-18 year, the state government had supplied 18.73 lakh fish seed to the farmers.

Hira Naik told The Hans India that it is more remunerative to raise fish in fish ponds than cultivating groundnut or any other crop. He said that it would cost just Rs 5,000 to rear fish in two-and-a-half acres of land.

If 5,000 fish seed is released into the fish pond, the unit produces 4 tonnes of fish production. The farmer can earn Rs 5 lakh out of the unit and after deducting an expenditure of Rs 1.2 lakh, the farmer will be left with a profit of Rs 3.8 lakh, which is substantial when compared to other crops like groundnut etc.

The Fisheries department has taken positive steps for strengthening fishermen cooperative societies. The department however is facing political problems from the elected Water Users Associations, who are demanding a control over the water bodies and not giving a free hand to fishermen cooperative societies, who according to GO No 22 are eligible for raising fish in the reservoirs and water bodies.

The fishermen societies are urging District Collector Veera Pandian to intervene on behalf of the fishermen and help promote fish production on a massive scale. The local fishermen are exporting fish to as far as West Bengal state where fish is in great demand and is a primary food to the Bengalis. Every day, lorries with tonnes of fish from Penakacherla and PABR dams to West Bengal and Orissa states.

Fish consumption has of late increased due to health awareness among food consumers, who believe that fish is less harmful than any food and is free from cholesterol content and is said to be highly nutritious. Naik is urging farmers to take advantage of fishery schemes and go for fish culture instead of being on the losing side in groundnut culture every year.