Trout fish yield up, but marketing a challenge

Pratibha Chauhan

Shimla, November 24

Even as there has been an appreciable increase in trout production in Himachal which has been bringing good returns, farmers face the problem of marketing and sending it to Delhi and Chandigarh, where the cold water fish is in huge demand.

A majority of the farmers, who have taken to trout farming in a big way, send their produce to Delhi in night buses from Manali. There is a huge demand for trout fish in the high-end hotels of Manali itself, thus helping the small farmers in selling their produce. There is no retail sale of trout anywhere in Himachal as trout is expensive and there is no demand in local markets.

“The Fisheries Department is keen on helping farmers in the marketing of trout but so far we are confined to just providing them fingerling (fish seed) and feed,” said Vivek Chandel, Director, Fisheries. He said farmers had tied up with hotels in Delhi and Chandigarh where they get about Rs 1,000 per kg for trout and in Manali, they are able to fetch about Rs 750 per kg.

Though the Fisheries Department has nine trout farms in the state, these are primarily demonstration farms where farmers are given training. As such, the production in these nine farms is merely eight to 10 metric tonnes annually. However, there are 650 farmers in the state who are taking keen interest in trout farming and their total produce this year was 1,178 metric tonnes. The number of interested farmers is on the rise.

The department was using the Norwegian technology for trout farming in Himachal but in 2020-21, the Denmark strain was introduced. “Almost all farmers are cultivating rainbow trout species as the brown trout grows very slowly and its cultivation is not economically viable,” said Chandel. The Fisheries Department introduces the brown trout in the cold water streams and keen anglers and local people catch it from there.

The department has nine trout farms, including those at Patlikuhl, Hamni and Batahda in Kullu; Barot and Janjehali in Mandi; Holi, Bhandal and Thalla in Chamba; Dhamwari in Shimla; and Sangla in Kinnaur. Farmers are growing trout in Kullu, Shimla, Kinnaur, Mandi, Chamba and Sirmaur districts after availing the subsidy given by the department as the trout fish is highly prized in high-end hotels.

The government provides 60 per cent subsidy for the structure for trout farming for people from the SC and ST category and women, while people from the general category get 40 per cent subsidy.

Big players send produce to Delhi

• A majority of the farmers, who have taken to trout farming in a big way, send their produce to Delhi in night buses from Manali
• There is a huge demand for trout fish in the high-end hotels of Manali too, which helps small farmers in selling their produce
• There is no retail sale of trout anywhere in Himachal as trout is expensive and there is no demand in local markets
• The department was using the Norwegian technology for trout farming in Himachal but in 2020-21, the Denmark strain was introduced