Educated youths exhorted to pursue 'aquaculture business'
Source: Chronicle News Service / Premchand Thongam

Imphal, August 22 2021: Keeping in mind the rising rate of unemployment, educated unemployed youth of the state can adopt aquaculture business as a potential sustainable income generation model, according to associate professor Dr Gusheinzed Waikhom of Department of Aquaculture, College of Fisheries, Lembuchera, Tripura, who is also principal investigator of RKVY-Rafter Agri-Business Incubator.

In an exclusive talk with The People's Chronicle, Dr Gusheinzed re minded that it is impossible for the government to provide government jobs to every educated youth and so entrepreneurship is the way forward to generate income and aquaculture business is one such potential models of sustainable business.

Among the aquaculture activities, one can adopt food fish culture or semi incentive farming by using aerator, water exchange facility, quality fish seed and good formulated feeds.

One can also combine pisciculture with live stock, agriculture and horticulture farming as integrated aquaculture activities.

In the modern incentive farming system, there are activities like biofloc technology, recirculating aquaculture system, aquaponic system.

These systems require less raw materials, can be taken up in small land area easily and fish grows quickly.

However, one needs to tin derstand the technology through proper training.

It also requires some initial investment, he stressed.

One can also earn better profit by rearing ornamental fish as several such fishes are available indigenously in the state.

These species include Ngarang (Gagata dolichonema), Ngara (Neolisochilus stracheyi, Sana Nga (Schizothorax sp.), Ngapang (Glyptothorax ventrolineatus), Ngatup (Schistura manipurensis), Ngawa (Bariilius ngawa), and Nungnga (Devario yuensis), he said and added that these fish species can be kept in aquarium.

Production of fry, spawn, fingerlings, etc, is also profitable business activity under aquaculture business.

Jayanti Rohu and monosex fish species produced through Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT) and Amur Common Carp can also be produced apart from indigenous fish species like Ukabi, said the associate professor.

The time when fish farmers used only grasses and chengkup (rice and paddy husk mixture) for fish farming has gone.

Advanced and nutritious fish feeds are available which can boost the growth of the fish in a short period of time and as such production of quality fish feed is also a sustainable business model.

Such farms can deliver the feeds at the farmers' doorstep.

On the other hand, one can start an aqua restaurant business in which the customer can choose the fish they like from the aquarium in their food order.

It will be a new business model in the state and can get quite popular.

Besides, one can produce different food items from fish, Dr Gusheinzed said.

Fish farmers in lake and dam reservoir can also rear fish through cage culture.

However, it will need prior permission and licence as well as environment impact assessment from the government authority.

Customised cages could be used for cage culture in Loktak Lake since the standard sized cage cannot be used in the shallow water of Loktak Lake.

A 10-metre long, 6-metre wide and 2-metre deep cage will be best suited for Loktak Lake.

Apart from this, one can use pen culture in lake and other wetland areas, he added.

(This article has beeri published under Media Fellowship Programme in Scientific Journalism of Public Relation and Media Management Cell, CAU Imphal.

One can contact PRMM Cell, CAU, information and publicity officer Dr Indira Thounaojam or through email [email protected] for further details in relation with the article) .

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