IEP Chandigarh, September 20
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday announced a big bonanza for the farmers who are doing the Fisheries business. The State Government will give an advance subsidy to the farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) if there is any delay in the subsidy coming from the Central Government. Besides this, the Chief Minister also announced for setting up of a testing lab related to this business in Sirsa. This will directly benefit the local farmers who are in this business as earlier, the farmers of this district had to especially go to Rohtak for the lab testing facility.
Khattar was speaking at a workshop of shrimp farmers organized at Chormar Khera village in Sirsa. He further announced that a wholesale fish market would also be opened in either Jhajjar or Gurugram district for the purchase and sale of fish. This would ensure the economic progress of the farmers. Like the Kisan Credit Card, the government is also providing the facility of credit cards to fish farmers. Similarly, the government is also holding discussions with banks and insurance companies for providing insurance facilities for fisheries as well, added Khattar.
The Chief Minister said that power consumption is a big issue in fish farming. At present, the government is providing electricity at the rate of 4.75 per unit to the farmers whose consumption is 20 kW. Fish farmers can also set up solar plants on their plots, for this a subsidy of Rs. 20,000 per horsepower, with a maximum limit of Rs 2 lakh is being given to them.
The Chief Minister said that an aqua park, at a cost of Rs 30 crore would be established in Garwa village in the Bhiwani district. This aqua park will be established on 25 acres. In this, new research related to fish farming, the new variety of fish farming, and research on seeds will be carried out. This will directly benefit the fish farmers, he said. The Chief Minister said that the benefits of the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana would be available for the next three years. Shrimp is exported in large quantities. This brings foreign exchange into the country, which is important for India’s economic growth.
The Chief Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is making several new schemes and projects to double the income of farmers. One of them is fisheries. Ordinary farmers cannot earn more by growing crops only but they can certainly earn more from animal husbandry, pisciculture, mushroom production, etc. Progressive farmers should go ahead and inspire other farmers to join them.
“We are continuously promoting the production of shrimp in saline land and waterlogged areas in Haryana. In the year 2014-15, the total area under shrimp farming was 70 acres and the total production was 140 MT only, which has now increased to 1250 acres and the production has also increased to 2900 MT during the year 2021-22,” said Khattar. He said that the State Government has set this year’s target to increase this area from 1250 acres to 2500 acres and production from 2900 metric tonnes to 4000 metric tonnes. The Chief Minister said that in the year 2014, 1 lakh metric tonnes of fish was produced in Haryana in a total farming area of 43000 acres and this year the target has been increased to 54000 acres. Besides this, the State Government has also set a target of increasing production to 2.10 lakh metric tonnes. A target has been set to provide 25 lakh fish seeds to the farmers in the state, added Khattar.
