Shimla, Oct 23 (PTI) Fish farmers can earn an annual profit of Rs 10.50 lakh in one hectare of pond area, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Wednesday while highlighting steps taken the Himachal government to promote pisciculture in the state.
The Himachal Pradesh government is providing an 80 per cent subsidy for pond construction to promote fish farming in the state. Under the scheme, a farmer can build a pond covering a maximum of one hectare or a minimum pond size being 500 square meters, according to a statement issued here.
The subsidy for the construction of a one-hectare pond and 500-square-meter pond is Rs 9.92 lakh and Rs 49,600, respectively.
The scheme is being implemented in eight out of 12 districts of the state namely Bilaspur, Mandi, Hamirpur, Kangra, Solan, Sirmaur, Chamba and Una, the chief minister said in the statement.
The main fish species reared in these ponds include Rohu, Katla, Mrigal, Common Carp and Grass Carp, all of which have high market value. Fishermen can earn an annual profit of Rs 10.50 lakh by farming in one hectare of pond area, while even the smallest unit of 500 square meters can yield an annual profit of more than Rs 50,000, he said.
Carp fish production in the state has increased from 6,767.11 metric tonnes last year to 7,367.03 metric tonnes this year, he said, adding that approximately 2,600 fishermen are currently involved in carp farming.
Detailing the initiatives in the fishery sector, the statement also talked about providing high-quality fish seeds to fishermen and setting up a training centre at Gagret in Una.
A memorandum of understanding was also signed with the Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, Bhubaneswar for getting advanced seeds of Jayanti Rohu and Amrit Katla species which have a 20-25 per cent higher growth rate than traditional varieties and possess greater disease resistance, it added. PTI BPL MR SHW SHW
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