If there has been one area in agriculture-related activity that has seen continuous growth in the last two decades, it is the ornamental fish rearing business.
What was once considered to be a realm of the knowledgeable and a costly hobby has today permeated practically several small villages across the country.
“It is a vocation that can generate income not only for rural women but also for young unemployed people. The sector offers big employment scope for youth as service providers, as busy urban families today would like their aquariums to be managed by professionals,” says Dr. Rao, Chief Executive, National Fisheries Development Board, NFDB, Hyderabad.
Several programmes Realising the immense prospects in this area, NFDB, in collaboration with premier institutions like the Central Institute of Fishery Education, has started skill development programmes, particularly for women so as to upgrade their technical knowledge and expose them to best practices in the sector.
The board also arranged training in marine ornamental fisheries for about 250 members of women self help groups from Kancheepuram distict, Tamil Nadu, through Satyabhama University.
Ornamental fish training and research institute, Udaipur, has been roped in by the board for organising training programmes in a big way. Sixteen batches have completed training so far in this institute benefitting 320 entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneurs
About 600 women entrepreneurs from West Bengal were taken for exposure visits to learn from the rich experience of Kollathur counterparts in Tamil Nadu.
“Today a visit to Howrah and South 24 Paraganas districts in the state will prove that there are thousands of families practising ornamental fish rearing. Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Mysore, organised training for youth from the region with assistance from the board. Similarly, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Karda, in Maharashtra, availed funding from us and conducted skill development programmes for 100 entrepreneurs in breeding and rearing of ornamental fishes, aquarium fabrication and maintenance. We also recently assisted ten entrepreneurs from Andhra Pradesh to visit the Ornamental Kerala Aqua show in Kochi,” explains Dr. Rao, Chief Executive,NFDB.
Till date, the board has sanctioned Rs.2.13 crore to establish ten ornamental fisheries hubs in ten districts of Tamil Nadu alone.
The facilities include establishment of 250 backyard ornamental units exclusively for women SHGs along with training and exposure visits for the members.
Plans are on to set up five ornamental fish retail outlets for better marketing. In addition, 10 transport vehicles are to be provided for each of the ten hubs. The board receives a number of applications regularly from Karnataka and Kerala.
Project funding “We have also funded a project in Annamalai University for a demonstration hatchery and brood stock bank for marine ornamental fish brooders. Over a period, the board has supported about 2,477 units in different states at a project cost of Rs. 15 crore. Presently we are targeting schools and colleges for promotion of aquariums as healthy recreation and hobby”, Dr. Rao added.
As in the case of other sectors, fisheries too has its limitations which have for a long time not been considered seriously.
Some of the main problems to be overcome are non-availability of skilled manpower, inadequate training facilities for breeding, farming of high valued species and labs for health management.
Major problems In addition, inadequate infrastructure like few hatcheries, lack of quality brood stock, dependence on wild collection, lack of skilled manpower and limited exposure to quality standards in international markets, problems due to non-availability of export oriented market database, stringent export regulations, non-availability of containers to export live fish, non-availability of flights connecting to importing countries and trade permissions, insufficient aquatic quarantine facilities to ensure export of disease-free fishes are some of the major problems the sector has been facing in the past.
“We are currently focussing on these constraints and have started addressing them. Skill development has been taken up in a big way to widen the knowledge base. Infrastructure facilities are being created and improved so that quality and standards are maintained. We are promoting efforts to standardise captive breeding of indigenous ornamental fishes,” says Dr. Rao.
Those interested to start this venture as a full time vocation can directly contact Dr. M.V. Rao, IAS, Chief Executive, National Fisheries Development Board, Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad- 500 052, email: mvraoforindia@gmail.co
