Farmers in Wayanad are taking to inland aquaculture for better income, spurred by the increasing number of success stories in the sector. “When the State Fisheries Department started ‘Matsya Samrudhi’ project in 2009, there were only 400 farmers in the sector. But now around 4,000 farmers are trying their luck in fisheries. The farming area went up from 20 to 190 hectares,” B.K. Sudheer Kishan, nodal officer of the project, told The Hindu .
George Chulliyana, a farmer at Vellamunda, remembers how in 1997, when he started fish farming after a visit to a fish farm in Andhra Pradesh, the initiative was viewed with suspicion by the farmers back home. But Mr. George went on to dig a pond for the purpose on his two hectares of paddy field. The first harvest itself proved to be a great success. Now Mr. George is cultivating nearly seven species of fish including Cyprinus carp, Labaeo rohita, grass carp, and Catla catla in his pond. “I got two tonnes of fish valued at Rs.4 lakh in the last harvest,” he says. Mr. George started farming ornamental fisheries this year, which he says is more profitable than edible fishes.
Another success story is of Saseendran, a marginal farmer at Thekkumthara. Mr. Saseendran, now a State-level award winner in inland fisheries, started fresh water aquaculture in 2002 by depositing nearly 150 fingerlings of Cyprinus carp, Labaeo rohita, and grass carp in a small pond. His first stint failed, primarily because of lack of technical knowhow.
Three quintalsHe did not give up, and the very next year, he deposited nearly 200 fingerlings of the same varieties in the pond. This time, he was well directed by the Fisheries Department officials. He could harvest nearly three quintals of fish.
Gradually, he expanded the venture, and now rears seven species of edible and 14 species of ornamental fishes in 16 ponds on his five-acre land. “I harvested nearly two tonnes of edible fishes and sold hundreds of ornamental fishes last year. Marketing was not an issue, as the demand for the fresh water fish was very huge in the hill district,” Mr. Saseendran says.
