An exhausted and dejected Sumitra Kumar scrolled on her phone in her home in Haryana’s Karamsana village. The wheat, bajra and mustard farms had failed. Even the carton manufacturing unit had shut down in the pandemic.
Then she had a Eureka moment.
She ran to her husband even as a YouTube video played on her mobile screen — ‘Farmers make huge profits as Haryana makes it big in fish farming’.
That was 2021.
Soon, Sumitra and Rajendra would shift to white shrimp farming. Today, she is the white shrimp queen of Haryana, selling fish worth Rs 30 lakh every season on average. Her son goes to a BBA college in Jaipur and the couple has moved to a double-storey house.
Haryana faces the challenge of salty groundwater affecting regular agriculture but shrimp farming is thriving on this very factor. The salty water provides a suitable environment for shrimp growth. “This salt water was a curse, now it is a blessing,” said Sumitra, proudly looking at her 15-acre shrimp farm.
Haryana is often hyphenated with wrestling, Olympian Neeraj Chopra, doodh, dahi, chanch, Basmati rice, and kachri ki chutney. Fish farming is the latest addition to this list as thousands of farmers, aided by Modi government’s Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, find a new source of income and rewrite their fate. More than 5,000 farmers across the state are now part of a flourishing industry that is attracting doodhwalas, debt-ridden farmers, and landless Dalits. Katla, Rohu, Mrigal, Pangas, Shrimp, and Singhi from Hisar, Sirsa, Bhiwani, Rohtak, Karnal are finding customers in Japan, US, China and different markets of India. The state now ranks second in average annual fish production per unit area in the country.
Haryana’s annual fish production stands at 11,000kg/hectare whereas the national average is 3,000-5,000 kg/hectare. The land-locked state with a primarily vegetarian population isn’t an ideal location for pisciculture to thrive but farmers have decided to look beyond wheat, bajra and mustard.
“We have every day, at least four to five farmers coming in inquiring about fish farming techniques,” said Shripal Rathi, Director of Fisheries Department of Haryana, sitting at his district office in Panchkula, shuffling through official papers. He is approving presentations, signing farmers requests, evaluation papers of employees and documents of new few fish-related schemes.
Usually, it’s a DM’s office that is crowded with people looking for resolution. In Haryana, the fishery department is equally busy. Late night official meetings, field visits, meeting with farmers, data mining, market reading and work on policies, the department is a high-functioning one.
The state is producing more shrimps than Punjab, its biggest competitor in north India. Sirsa alone is farming on 1,700 acre of land whereas the whole of Punjab has dedicated around 1,300 acres.
“The Haryana government has given more schemes than the Punjab government,” said a white shrimp farmer from Punjab.
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A sultan of fish farming
The exponential growth in fish trade Haryana is witnessing today is also a result of individual experiments, and in some cases even social risks people like Sultan Singh Choudhary took decades ago. The year was 1982. People in Butana village of Karnal district restricted the use of community ponds to bathing cattle. But Sultan, then just 19, had a different plan. He bought some “fish seeds.”
He knew if he told villagers he was going to start fish farming in the village pond, he would face their wrath. On a summer night, when the entire village was asleep, Sultan discreetly threw seeds at one of the ponds in the village. A few months later, he had a variety of fish to sell.
“These village ponds did not generate a penny for the villages. I rented a panchayati pond in my village on rent for Rs 500 in 1984, and bought seeds for Rs 7,000. More than a year later, I started fishing in the pond, and to my surprise I sold the fish for more than Rs 1.5 lakh,” recalled Sultan.
Today, Sultan and his son Neeraj, sitting in a one-storey office built on the campus of a 30-acre farm, are owners of a fish empire with annual profits touching Rs one crore. And he is a success story the Haryana government loves to tell. His name comes at the top on the Haryana government’s fishery page. Sultan, known as the ‘Sultan of fish farming’ in Haryana, recorded a profit of more than Rs five lakh per acre of land in 2024.
Inside his office in Butana, a 10×12 wall is dedicated to holding all the awards and recognition received by Sultan— a Padma Shri, Jagjivan Ram Kisan Award, International Quality Summit Award, Best Incubatee Award by the Government of India, Best Innovative Farmer Award by the Government of Haryana to name a few.
Sultan sits on an old revolving chair, overlooking a worker cutting out new pamphlets of Fish Bite, a small processed food company started by the entrepreneur and his son Neeraj three years ago.
“Fish kali mirch, frozen rohu fish, fish tikka, we have everything. When not fish, we are selling chicken achari, seekh kebab,” said Sultan as he took a bite of fish kali mirch lying around. A crispy pangas that melts in the mouth.
“I did not leave this business, fish is my life now, I have done it and my son is also running the business,” he said as he looked at his son with a smile.
The 62-year-old walked around the ponds as the labourers watered the guava, jamun, chickoo trees grown on the soil between the 28 fish ponds. He then reached a long rectangle-shaped room, made of tin sheets. It had few windows and two exits. The silence of the afternoon broken by the constant sound of water pouring in the huge vessels. “Je hai RAS (This is RAS),” Sultan’s voice echoed.
The building hosts RAS, or Recirculating Aquaculture System, a water filtration technique that has become a propeller for high growth for Haryana’s fish farmers. The state was able to achieve 14 per cent growth in fresh water farming in 2020. It produced around 2.3 lakh metric tons of fish that year. Sultan has around six or seven of them installed in this room. When carefully seen in the water, thousands of black grayish Pangas swim—medium to long black grey fish variety.
Sultan is a big advocate of innovative farming techniques. He first came across the RAS around 26 years ago during one of his visits to the US and Europe. However, he could only introduce this back home in 2014, when Blue revolution reached Haryana.
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Fuel for fish
Fish trade making its foray into a predominantly vegetarian Haryana is one for the B-schools. Officials on the ground have many tales from the early days, when the blue revolution was just starting to take shape. The opposition to making fish farming reach the doors of traditional farmers was a struggle.
“We are vegetarians, but we have to deal with fish every day. We always knew what benefit fish could bring to Haryana’s economy. I remember the first time when we went to a farmer in Karnal, his family was completely against it. But when the farmers saw the growth of others, they also wanted to be a part of it,” fishery officer Ravi Bakhla told ThePrint.
The department helped farmers secure land to start aquaculture and rented out community ponds.
It also made its social media game active. The YouTube, Instagram and Facebook handles of Haryana fisheries department is buzzing with videos of success stories and explainers on aquaculture that inspire more people to take a plunge. The department also painted walls, spread messages. And word of mouth among farmers also helped in making the scheme popular. Posters declaring ‘fish for health, fish for wealth’ were put up. And with the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMYS), aquaculture entered the next league in Haryana.
Kulpdeen Singh, a Dalit farmer from Sirsa, who initially faced a setback, did not bear the brunt of the loss because of the government subsidies. Singh’s family is now respected in his village. “People now ask us for monetary help,” he said.
Blue Revolution Integrated Development and Management Fisheries or Blue Revolution Scheme was announced in 2015 to increase fish production across India. After the launch of the scheme, fish farmers who were skeptical first came out in huge numbers, dug ponds and started freshwater aquaculture. The PMMSY gave a Rs 20,000 crore additional boost to the measure.
In the past five years, the Modi government has given out subsidies to fish farmers—60 per cent to the Dalit and women farmers, and 40 per cent to male farmers, to help them cover the cost of infrastructure and labour. In addition to this, the Haryana government also provides subsidies.
The introduction of modern fish farming techniques also played a key role. The Biofloc technique saved farmers from feeding duties. The technology had the ability to reduce feed consumption ratio by increasing food source from the biofloc. And RAS helped recycle and reuse water. Irrespective of climate, the fish farmers were able to achieve higher produce.
Programs like the Intensive Fisheries Development Program and National Fisheries Seed Program further supported farmers with resources and training, making the state self-sufficient in fresh water fish seeds.
The establishment of projects like the Integrated Aquapark Excellence Centre in Garwa village, Bhiwani, and the Aquatic Agriculture Cluster Project in districts such as Sirsa, Rohtak, Fatehabad, and Hisar underscored Haryana’s commitment to modernising fisheries.
The state has also started ornamental fish farming, where they are producing fish for locals, who want to keep them in aquariums.
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Failures, global threat
Haryana’s experiment with fish is not just about success stories. It is a relatively new territory for hundreds of people who have also faced setbacks, at times because of global factors. But they are willing to take risks.
Singh had made Rs 10 lakh in 2020-2021 season on a 1.5 acre pond. But in 2022-23, Singh and his brothers faced an approximate loss of Rs 70 lakh because of global shocks in the shrimp market. Next year, he did not engage in shrimp farming. But this year, on expectations of higher pricing, Kuldeep decided to start fish farming again.
“I am still struggling from the old losses. But we have to take risk,” he said.
When Sultan tried introducing Kawai, a variety primarily consumed in West Bengal to Haryana, he failed. There was no demand. But he corrected his course to base his farming on Indian Major Carps—Rohu, Katla Mrigal.
Gaining confidence from initial success, Sumitra and Rajendra decided to experiment. Between 2021-2022, the couple decided to farm shrimps twice in the same year. Soon, they realised it wasn’t sustainable, considering how exhausting the process is.
Trial and error have been a big part of the farmers’ story.
With the progressive technologies, farmers from different villages started opting for the shrimp farming. But a global crash in the white shrimp market in 2022-23 dented their fortunes. They lost money and profit margins shrank.
Manish Kumar, farmer from Sirsa, said that Covid, Russia-Ukraine war, and a rising dependency on Ecuador, affected the Indian shrimp market. Kumar has previously worked with a fish seed distributor in Andhra Pradesh. Ecuador is the biggest producer of white leg shrimp in the world. And its geographical proximity to the US gives it a permanent advantage.
“The White shrimp market depends on the global market, the local consumption is less than five per cent. This year, we are expecting a better trade tariff under Donald Trump administration so that the fish industry can thrive,” said Kumar.
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White shrimp, the cash cow
In one corner of the room lay a white thermocol box. Sixty diaries are stored in it. Sumitra picked one of them and flipped her fingers through it. “This is all our data,” she said, opening another logbook. These diaries hold information on feeding time, amount fed and other details about the 15-acre white shrimp farm Sumitra and her husband have been running for the past five years. White shrimp is their cash cow now. A sure shot for a stable income. In west Haryana, a white shrimp revolution is underway.
Looking outside from one of the two rectangle-shaped windows that give a full view of the 15- acre farm, Rajendra opened an app on his smartphone. The PondLogs V2, a realtime pond data management tool, also helps the couple track the data on fish.
“We have earned a lot because of shrimps but they require a lot of care too. Just like a soldier looks after the border,” said Rajendra, sitting in a charpai, his gaze still fixed on the farm outside.
The view outside gave the impression of a lighthouse with an oasis in the middle of the desert. The building was purposefully constructed at an elevation for Rajendra and Sumitra to keep a constant vigil on the 13 ponds.
The couple’s success story has reached the bordering villages of Rajasthan, where the soil is dry, dependent on saline water. Now, some people in the nearby areas of the bordering state are also trying to venture into white shrimp farming.
“We have set an example for many people in our village, at least three people started farming in our locality,” said a proud Rajendra.
Shrimp farming is difficult, and time-consuming. It requires 24×7 vigil. The workers have to ensure the proper flow of oxygen in the water and feeding. At Sumitra and Rajendra’s farm, one labour is dedicated every two ponds.
In 2020, the couple pulled in their entire savings to start the business, investing around Rs 80 lakh that included government subsidies. In 2025, they earned around Rs two lakh per acre. Currently, they have white shrimp farming spread on 15 acres.
“The demand is so high that buyers come looking for us. We are paid on the spot,” said Sumitra, looking at the entries in the diary.
The white shrimp has turned out to be Haryana’s trump card in aquaculture. In the year 2024-25, the state saw production of more than 15,000 metric tons of white shrimp. There is more than 300 per cent increase in the area under saline water aquaculture 2020 and 2024.
In 2024-25, Sirsa fish farmers produced 4,000 metric tons of the variety, which is 27 per cent, or nearly one third of the production from one district.
In fact, Sirsa also made it to the list of 17 fish clusters announced by the Centre in 2025. The region will receive special focus from the central government.
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From milkman to rohu, katla
Wearing a simple yellow shirt, black jersey and a chappal with an iPhone in his hand, 29-year-old Praveen Kumar instructed two of the labourers he had hired on his fish farm.
The people in these farms are mostly hired from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the two labour supplying states for traditional agriculture activities to Haryana and Punjab. Such labourers are now flocking to Haryana districts with fish farms in large numbers.
Zubair Malick from Saharanpur, UP is now settled at Praveen Kumar’s farm with his family for the past six months. He earns Rs 20,000 a month and has been able to clear his debt.
Back in UP, he was involved in tailoring work. In Haryana, his job is to take care of the farm and feed the fish. He said earlier he used to work for 10-12 hours a day. Compared to that, the current job is less labour intensive.
Kumar is busy attending calls inquiring for fish deliveries. “There is time, I will let you know when they are ready,” he said, cutting the call as the phone rang again. He said such calls would only go up as the season approaches in October-November.
Kumar was a milkman and low-scale farmer in his village in Bhood, Panchkula district. Four years ago, few of his friends randomly mentioned to him about fish farming. Kumar, with the thought of earning a few extra bucks rented an acre property from his uncle far from the village. And so a vegetarian Gujjar family decided to indulge in fish farming.
Today, Kumar is earning Rs 17 lakh in profit from a pond spread over eight acres. He sold 35,000 kg of fish in 2024, and 28,000 kg in 2023 and anticipates a profit of 20 lakh this year.
“It’s a profitable business, why shouldn’t I pursue it? I used to sell milk earlier and earned so less. With so little money, I couldn’t look after my family,” said Kumar as he prepared to feed the fish.
Kumar earned around 15 thousand a month, when he was a milkman, but now he is earning in lakhs in a year.
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‘Fish healthier than paratha’
Like 80 per cent of Haryana, Praveen Kumar too does not consume fish or non-vegetarian food. But he touches them, swims with them, and helps dealers when they come during the harvest season.
“I don’t consume fish but have no problem in selling them,” said Kumar as he gave water to Neelam Kataria, a fishery officer who was feeling nauseous at the farm. Kataria has been working as a fishery officer for more than a decade. She is a follower of ISKON, and a vegetarian who does not even consume onion and garlic. Her work includes field visits, where she has to meet the farmers and collect data. She is now being shifted to the secretariat and she is happy about it.
On her way back from Praveen’s farm, Kataria asked the driver to stop the car and roll down the window, before throwing up. “I am feeling unwell,” she said.
Most of the officers in the fisheries department do not consume fish, nor do the farmers. “At home nobody knows we eat chicken, fish consumption is scandalous,” said fisheries officer Sandeep Kumar, who has been working with the department for the past two years.
Sandeep Kumar and his colleague Simranjeet understand the profits in the fish business taking hold in Haryana and they do not want to miss out on the opportunity. They have witnessed the growth of white shrimp farming in Sirsa, and understand the industry well. They have intentions to start a business of their won.
Praveen Kumar’s mother allowed him to start this business because she understood her son was going to give life to so many fish. Sultan Chaudhry sold the protein pitch to his family.
“People of Haryana like the money that comes, not the fish,” said Sultan’s son Neeraj.
Sultan’s family did not eat fish for the first 15 years of his farming days. Gradually, he started liking it as age caught up with him.
“My friends, who earlier chased me away because of my fish trade, now ask me for fish because the doctor recommended them to consume protein in old age,” said Sultan. From tamatar fish curry to chicken tandoori, Sultan and his son frequently indulge in non-vegetarian meals.
But for the women in the family “it’s smelly”.
“Fish is good for your health, it digests faster, more than the paratha we eat. All the vegetables, milk products we consume are poisonous because of pesticides and use of chemicals. But the fish in Haryana is tasty and organic,” added Sultan.
Sultan’s wife once ate fish crackers without knowing they are made of 80 per cent fish. She enjoyed it before Sultan told her. She was baffled.
Most fishing farms in Haryana are situated far from clusters of houses, on the outskirts. It’s a segregation that is sensitive to the culinary and cultural choices and ensures the business never stops. Sultan has a small kitchen set up inside his office too. And the food swimming outside in the pond. It is the home kitchen where women rule.
“In my house, my son, grandson and I eat non-vegetarian food. No women in the family eat, I will make sure my granddaughter starts eating,” said Sultan.
(Edited by Anurag Chaubey)
Great! Now, rice procurement should be increased from Bengal, instead of Punjab. And Punjab should grow pulses and oilseeds. And promote industry.