State to set up Rs 7-cr fish seed farm in Mansa

Tribune News Service

Mansa, May 24

With a view to giving a boost to fishery in this border district, the Punjab Government will soon start a fish-seed farm to help fish farmers in getting quality fish seed. The firm, to cost Rs 7 crore, is being set up at Alisher Khurd village in Bhikhi block. The process of setting up the farm is in full swing and it would start functioning within the next two months.

Divulging more details about the project, Mansa ADC (development) Gurmeet Sidhu said the farm would prove to be a blessing in disguise for those farmers who were planning to set up fish ponds in Mansa district. He said this would be the 15th fish-seed farm in the state, which would help farmers in getting high quality fish seed.

More and more farmers of Mansa are getting attracted towards fish farming as 10 ponds were set up by farmers across this district last year.

He said the farmers whose agricultural land had saline water or arid soil could opt for fish farming and the Punjab Government is helping them in every possible manner.

“Apart from providing seed of the approved fish varieties, the government would also set up a fish farming training centre within the premises of this seed-farm where famers could learn modern ways of fish farming for free. The centre would be equipped with a soil and water testing laboratory,” Sidhu said.

He pointed out that once the farm was set up, farmers of the area need not to go anywhere else as they would be able to get everything related with fish-farming under one roof. Spread in an area of over 12 acres and 2 kanal, the farm would be opened to farmers soon as it was now near completion.

At present, there are 36 private ponds in Mansa district with a total area of 107 acres under fish farming. Around 2,067 acres of panchayati land in villages of Mansa district too is under fish farming where village ponds are taken on contract. The per hectare production of fish in Mansa is 7 tonne every year and the fish produced is sold in the market of Ludhiana.