Haryana: Rs 90 cr outlay for fisheries

Chandigarh, May (UNI) To usher in one blue revolution in the state, the Haryana government has approved an outlay of about Rs 90 crore for fisheries in the eleventh Five Year Plan period beginning this year.

Haryana Agriculture Minister Harmohinder Singh Chatha today said that fish culture had opened up new avenues for the farmers of the state and a major impetus was given by the state government for its development.

It was envisaged to bring 20,000 hectare water area under fish culture and to produce 90,000 tonne fish by stocking 4,000 lakh fish seed by the end of this five year plan.

The Minister said the diversification from land-based food production to water-based food production was being actively considered by the state government as almost all the available cultivable land had already been brought under agriculture.

The state had 85,900 hectares of water area which was two per cent of land area. This area was used for the production of protein rich fish food, he said.

Fish production, Mr Chatha said, had increased by 90 times in the state from 600 tonnes in 1966 to about 55,000 tonnes in recent years.

Haryana had the second highest productivity of fish in the country, next only to Punjab, he added.

He said during the current financial year a sum of Rs. 4.70 crore as state plan outlay and over Rs four crore as centre share had been approved.

It was proposed to stock 3300 lakh fish seeds and to produce 61,000 tonnes of fish during this year. Technical and financial assistance to 13,120 families would be provided. Under 20-point programme, it was targeted to provide benefit to 670 families belonging to Scheduled Caste.

UNI