The Hindu : Fish farmers development agency here too

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 19, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Pondicherry

Fish farmers development agency here too

By Our Staff Reporter

Pondicherry April 18. The Local Administration and Fisheries Minister, A. Elumalai, has said that one more Fish Farmers Development Agency would be set up in the Pondicherry region to enable farmers to undertake aquaculture profitably.

Addressing the sixth Aquaculture Expo 2003 here today, he said an agency for development of fish farmers existed in the Karaikal region and nearly 170 aqua culturists had registered themselves with it. Now, Pondicherry would have one such agency in the current financial year.

Mr. Elumalai said aquaculture activities had been taken up by farmers on their own land or in tanks owned by commune panchayats in Karaikal.

Claiming that shrimp culture had picked up fast in Pondicherry during the last two decades, he said a large number of persons were being attracted to the venture, particularly in shrimp cultivation in brackish water in Pondicherry.

Mr. Elumalai said schemes were formulated to promote shrimp farms in the Karaikal and Yanam regions and a subsidy of Rs. 40,000 per hectare had been proposed to be given.

The expo now held by the NRS Publications (publishers of the `Aqua International') had attracted a large number of farmers patronising shrimp farm activities.

The Minister said that as there was a good scope for shrimp cultivation in the coastal limits of Pondicherry and Karaikal, there was also the immediate need to start shrimp processing plants. The Union Territory Administration would extend full assistance for such ventures for processing of shrimps.

There should be no compromise on professional integrity and quality of the products.

The Education Minister, K. Lakshminarayanan, declaring open the exhibition, said fishing activity was one of the few ancient works in Pondicherry. With fast developments in technology in fishing activity, there should be full-fledged orientation of farmers engaged in shrimp cultivation and particularly youth should be attracted through training programme to go into the avocation.

R. Siva MLA also spoke. R. Padmanabhan, Chief Secretary, said there should be no gap in exploitation and potential available for aqua culture and fishing activities. There should be sustained development and the production of fish should increase still further. At present, some 40,000 metric tons of fish had been produced while the scope was there for more production. At the same time, there should be no over exploitation. Sustainable production should be the guiding factor. He said Pondicherry, Karaikal and Yanam offered good scope for aquaculture.

One government-run aquaculture farming had been set up in Yanam. A private firm had applied for aquaculture activity in Yanam and once approval was given, the firm would be sanctioned permission.

He stressed the need for self-help groups also to take up the venture. No private entrepreneurs had come up in Pondicherry to launch the brackish water aqua culture work.

Yugraj Singh Yadava, Member Secretary of the Aquaculture Authority in the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, New Delhi, said there should be cooperative venture in shrimp cultivation.

He said the Aqua Culture Authority was advocating formation of associations of shrimp farmers so that they could take up the work more profitably.

M. A. Nazeer, convenor of the expo and the conference, which would be held tomorrow, said aqua culture farmers in Tamil Nadu were more calculated and cautious than their counterparts in other parts of the country.

He said 36 companies in the field of aquaculture were participating in the exhibition displaying their latest products and equipment for better productivity.

The total area suitable for aquaculture in Pondicherry, Karaikal and Yanam was 1209 hectares. Private entrepreneurs practised improved traditional type of aquaculture using shrimp species

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