Fish productivity on the rise in Haryana

Chandigarh, Feb 3 (UNI) The Haryana Fisheries Department has converted 7,795 acres waterlogged and saline affected land into fish culture ponds for utilising the untapped water resources for the benefit of the fish farmers of the state.

Agriculture Minister H S Chatha said that during the last two years the overall fish productivity had increased by 367 kg per hectare per year resulting in an increase in the income of the farmers for fish culture in one hectare water body by Rs 11,000 per hectare per year.

Average fish productivity in Haryana was 4,576 kg per hectare per year, he added.

The Minister said that Haryana ranked second in per hectare fish production and to give major fillip to fish farming in the state, the present Government had reduced the electricity tariff to fifty per cent for fisheries.

VAT on fish feed and fish meal had also been waived off for the benefit of the farmers.

He said the government had also provided 100 per cent assistance to the fish farmers for fisheries inputs to adopt Polyculture, the culture of fish and prawn instead of traditional fish culture for increasing the income of the farmers.

A pilot project had also been launched to encourage the farmers to adopt diversification of traditional carp fish culture to high valued fish varieties so as to enhance the income of the farmers engaged in fish farming.

UNI