Caged fish is big business
Jharkhand success story works wonders for 600 Mahbubnagar families.
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2015-12-14 01:44 GMT
Hyderabad: With 600 families spread across the hillocks abutting the 1,064 hectare tank fed by the Krishna river, “caged fishery cultivation” in Kolisagar tank in Mahbubnagar is a promise many fishermen are looking forward to.
Fishing is an important source of livelihood in Mahbubnagar as there are large water bodies fed by the Srisailam and Jurala projects. Apart from this, there are minor irrigation tanks that make fish cultivation a major source of income in the region.
Caged farming technology has been a success in Jharkhand and also in a few southeast Asian nations. Mahbubnagar is the first district in Telangana state to take up this project where two type of fish, Thilapa and Pangacius, have been introduced into these tanks.
In caged farming culture, fish are reared from fry to fingerling to table size in a captive enclosed space where free exchange of water is maintained with the surrounding water body.
The fish grow in cages of 12 compartments (6 x 4 x 3) enclosed on all sides with mesh netting. This prevents other fish from foraging into the protected area for feed. It also prevents birds from swooping on the fingerlings.
Mahbubnagar district collector T.K. Sreedevi said, “This will be a good source of livelihood for fishermen. We will be able to gauge the income from the first crop. After that it will be taken up in other tanks on a larger scale.”
A fish seed hatchery and rearing units are also being set up in the region as there is a huge demand.
The project is funded by the National Fisheries Development Board and the TS government in a 60:40 ratio.
Similar cages have also been put up in Sarlasagar and Ramanpadu. At the same time the district administration has to ensure that there is no poaching and the fish are protected and allowed to grow to its full size.
Cold storage chains to boost crops
Setting up of a chain of cold storage chains for fish culture, milk dairying and also agriculture yield of pulses, castor, and other organic crops will help the farmers get a good yield of their crops.
Maize, cotton, pulses, oilseed crops, paddy and millets are the major agriculture crops of the district.
District collector T.K. Sreedevi explained, “Mahabubnagar is the seed hub for cotton, groundnut and maize in Telangana state. 30 per cent of the cotton seed requirement of India is being produced in Mahabubnagar district.”
To ensure that the district gets its due, ‘Advantage Mahabubnagar’ has been planned where investments of '695.50 crores have been announced.
Download the all new Deccan Chronicle app for Android and iOS to stay up-to-date with latest headlines and news stories in politics, entertainment, sports, technology, business and much more from India and around the world.