Kupwara : Fish farming is quickly becoming a prospective carrier option for young farmers in frontier Kupwara district as a large number of youth are turning to fish farming in order to support themselves financially and provide work for others.
The fish farmers in the private sector have increased manifold with hundreds of people getting attracted towards this fish farming in Kupwara district.
“Kupwara district is having excellent fish farming potential with the presence of scores of water bodies, Nallahs and cold water streams across the district” said Assistant Director, Fisheries Sajad Hussain Dar Tuesday while addressing a training programme for private fish farmers at Fisheries office Complex Kupwara under Agricultural technology Management Agency ( ATMA) 2022-23.
Day-long training programe was conducted to provide modern technical know-how to the newly covered beneficiaries for development of aquaculture in Trout and Carp fish farming.
On the occasion, Assistant Director Fisheries said that during the financial year 2022-23, 10744 Quintal of fish production was recorded which included 400 Quintals of trout fish production, which is double to last financial years total production.
In the awareness programe it was told that there is full fledged and functional Fish Sale centre in the premises of Fisheries complex Kupwara with the facilities of Deep freezers. For the benefit of fish farmers every Saturday sale of Trout and carp fish takes place in the Sale centre.
It was told in the awareness camp that there are 56 functional Trout units and 65 Carp units in a private centre in Kupwara district.
Giving an insight into fish farming being on modern lines to generate income and employment, the Assistant Director Fisheries, said that the government has strengthened the fisheries sector to make it a useful instrument of economic growth, especially in district Kupwara under Holistic development of Agriculture and allied sectors.
He said a number of developmental and welfare schemes have been launched for providing assistance to rural unemployed youth for taking up fish culture. Fish farming especially of trout with improvised technology applications is proving to be a successful economic indicator besides supplementing protein in the diet.
The fisheries department is extending technical know-how in this regard so that they can produce good quality and good quantity fish and get remunerative prices and the fish growers all over the district are employing the latest technical knowledge in fish culture.
On the occasion experts elaborated on seed, and feed, cleanliness, types of water suitable for fish and marketing avenues available for fish farmers. Experts interacted with the fish growers who had come from far-off areas like Tangdar, Chowkibal, Marsari, Sogam, Mawar, Handwara and Kalaroos.
