Minister for Agriculture and allied subjects Pocharam Srinivas Reddy said that the government has chalked out a plan to generate employment for about 40 lakh fishermen through cage culture of fish in the years to come.
Launching the cage culture of fish in Ashok Sagar here in Yedapally mandal on Saturday, the Minister said that the fishermen, with lack of encouragement from successive governments, earlier used to migrate to different places in search of work, and hence, the present administration had decided to create employment by introducing cage culture. Some experienced fishermen who had gone to Jharkhand at the behest of the government to study cage culture found that the fishermen there were making good profits through this method and recommended that the same be implemented in the State. Therefore, the cage culture of fish will be introduced in Mahabubnagar, Karimnagar, Khammam and Nizamabad districts, he said.
The Minister said that an estimated 200 crore seedlings will be required to release them into 75 small, medium and big reservoirs and tanks in the State next year. Thus, at least 20 crore fish would come for harvest. Fish raised through traditional methods weigh 1 kg in two years whereas the fish raised in cage culture will gain that much weight within eight months, he said. In the old method, between 10 and 20 per cent would come to use while through modern methods, a majority of seedlings would be alive, he explained and said that the government wanted to provide Rs. 5 lakh life insurance to fishermen. He went on to say that up to Rs.10 lakh would be sanctioned if fishermen came forward to set up fish outlets in villages and mandal headquarters. Mr. Srinivas Reddy later gave away cheques worth Rs. 1 lakh each to 17 bereaved families of fishermen and Rs.10,000 each to 36 fishermen to purchase nets.
