National Fish Farmer's Day observed widely, Matsya Mela held
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 10 2024: As observed across the country, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)- Research Complex for North Eastern Hill Region, Manipur Centre in collaboration with ICAR- Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) (Chandel, Churachandpur, Imphal West, Tamenglong & Ukhrul) and ICAR-Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute (ATARI), Zone VII celebrated 24th National Fish Farmer's Day cum Matsya Mela at its premises in Lamphelpat today.

Additionally, a One-Day National Workshop on "Fish for Healthy Dish: Farmer's as innovators and cultivators" was also conducted.

National Fish Farmer's Day observed widely, Matsya Mela held

The event was graced by CSIR-North East Institute of Science & Technology (NEIST), Lamphelpat, Chief Scientist, Dr Huidrom Birkumar Singh; NABARD Manipur Regional Office, General Manager, Partha Mandal; Deputy Director & Specialist Fodder, Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Services, Government of Manipur, Dr Pukhrambam Jairaj; Head of Regional Centre (HORC), ICAR Research Centre for NEH Region, Manipur Centre, Dr Ramgopal Laha and Principal Scientist, ICAR, Manipur, Dr Ch Basudha Devi as presidium members.

Notably, National Fish Farmer's Day is celebrated on July 10 every year to recognize and appreciate the invaluable contributions of fish farmers, aquaculture industry professionals, and other stakeholders toward ensuring a sustainable and thriving fisheries sector.

The day is celebrated to commemorate the revolutionary "Induced Breeding Technology" developed by Dr Hiralal Choudhury and Dr K H Alikhuni on July 10, 1957, which went on to change the face of Indian aquaculture.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Huidrom Birkumar said that National Fish Farmer's Day is a special day for fish farmers of the State and elaborated on the need to acknowledge the dedication & contribution of fish farmers.

Highlighting that fish is an integral part of the diet for people of Manipur, he asserted that with the increasing population, economic well-being, and rapid urbanization, the demand for food has grown exponentially.

He continued that to meet the ever-increasing demand for fish, aquaculture has expanded very rapidly and is now one of the fastest growing food-producing industries in the world.

He also emphasized on the importance of producing fish feed locally and promoting indigenous resources & knowledge.

Dr Ch Basudha elaborated on the need for developing a Brood Bank in Manipur to increase fish production by producing quality seeds.She also opined that ICAR, KVK and other institutions should strive to develop Brood Banks and provide the necessary knowledge to the farmers of Manipur by organising skill development programmes.

Felicitation of selected fish farmers and distribution of fingerlings & feed were the other highlights of the event.

Moreover, the College of Fisheries, Central Agricultural University (CAU), Imphal in association with the North East Society for Fisheries and Aquaculture (NESFA), India also celebrated the National Fish Farmers' Day at the college campus today.

The programme was graced by Prof Dr Ph Ranjit Sharma, Director of Extension Education, Directorate of Extension Education, CAU, Imphal; Anil S Kotmire, General Manager, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Tripura; Prof Ratan Kumar Saha, Vice-Chancellor, Techno India University Tripura; Dr Burhan U Choudhury, Principal Scientist and Head, ICAR-Regional Center, Tripura and Jyotish Talukdar, Director, Kalong-Kapili (NGO), Guwahati Assam.

Welcoming the gathering, Prof A B Patel, Dean of the college, highlighted the significant contributions of farmers towards the development of the fisheries sector as well as the role of the College of Fisheries in helping and supporting them. He also acknowledged the support and guidance received from Dr Anupam Mishra, Vice-Chancellor of CAU, Imphal.

Dr Ph Ranjit Sharma, Director of Extension Education, CAU, Imphal graced the occasion as the Chief Guest and inaugurated the Exhibition cum Technology Showcasing.

In his keynote address, Dr Ph Ranjit emphasized the importance of the day and mentioned the key initiatives of the CAU, Imphal towards sustainable fishery development in the region.

Progressive fish farmers, namely Rockson Kashung (Manipur), Khalainbor Pale (Meghalaya), Yeamoty Pigyor (Arunachal Pradesh), Da Norbu Sherpa (Sikkim), Ramdi Thou (Nagaland), Jaydev Sarkar (Assam), Lalhmunsanga (Mizoram) and Sujit Das (Tripura) were awarded by the Chief Guest and other dignitaries for their remarkable entrepreneurship contribution to different avenues of fisheries and aquaculture such as seed production, rearing, grow-out, etc.

The guests of the event distributed fish seeds and other technology products to the fish farmers of Tripura under this programme.

The programme was jointly sponsored by NABARD, SBI, TECHNOPREZ, NFDB and ONGC.

Around 200 fish farmers joined the programme, and they interacted with the experts.

The event was telecasted live on the social media pages through the Public Relation and Media Management Cell of the college.

A Farmers-Scientists Workshop was also held on "Blue Transformation in North East India: Farmers' Perspectives" witnessing wide participation from different sections.

Similarly, National Fish Farmer's Day 2024 was also observed today at the training hall of Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Imphal East (Andro) .

About 28 numbers of fish farmers and farm women of Imphal East District participated in the celebration.

At the event, S Molibala Devi, Sr Scientist & Head, KVK, Imphal East (Andro) emphasized the need of availing important government schemes for development of fishery sector by the fish farmers and also adopting the new production technologies for increasing the productivity.

Dr MA Salam, SMS (Fisheries), KVK, Imphal East (Andro) gave an intensive lecture on "New Production Technologies for Fishery Suitable in Imphal East District" and schemes for fishery development.

Fingerlings were also distributed to the farmers during the programme.