State sets a target of 800 metric tonnes trout fish production for the year 2020-21.
The perennial rivers of Himachal Pradesh offer vast opportunities for trout production and supplementing incomes of the fishermen. The government is creating all efforts to the market sector in a very massive means that numerous schemes are now being enforced.
Himachal Pradesh has emerged as a major trout fish producing states in the country and trout fish production is likely to touch a record of 685 metric tonnes in the state during current the financial year. The state government has now decided to open trout fish outlets at Shimla, Chamba and Kangra under CSS-Blue Revolution and which would be made functional shortly.
Trout fishery in Himachal Pradesh has been introduced in 600 kilometers riverine length at the higher altitudes of cold water streams in the snow fed rivers of Beas, Sutlej and Ravi, which are most conducive for trout farming in the hill state. A total of 568.443 metric tonnes of trout fish production valuing at Rs 2558 lakh was recorded in the state during the year 2018-19 in seven trout fish production districts of Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Kinnaur, Chamba, Kangra and Sirmaur.
The state has set up a target of 800 metric tonnes trout fish production in the barren cold water during the year 2020-21 while 950 metric tonnes trout fish production target has been fixed for the year 2021-22″, said Virender Kanwar, Minister of Fisheries.
The department has chalked out ambitious marketing strategy for the sale of trout fish to develop 940 trout units as revenue-earning centers in order to boost the economy activities in this sector. The department will also establish trout cluster during the current financial year for marketing of trout fish through mobile fish vans in the state. Presently, around 50 percent of trout produced is being sold outside the state mainly to the five star hotels in metropolitan cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai etc .
The state government has also decided to shift focus on marketing to metropolitan cities by enhancing quality and quantity both to ensure remunerative prices to around 500 trout farming families in the state. The department of Fisheries is also developing an online sale portal in collaboration with ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Kochi.
As many as eight trout farms have been set up at Patlikuhal, Hamni (Kullu), Holi Thaila and Bhandal (Chamba), Barot (Mandi), Sangla (Kinnaur), and Dhamwari (Shimla) in order to boost trout fish production. The government has decided to set up 29 trout hatcheries in the private sector also mainly in the trout farming seven districts of Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Kinnaur, Chamba, Kangra and Sirmaur under CSS-BR and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna in the coming years. Each hatchery will have a trout ova production capacity of nearly 2.00 lakh annually.
The state government is also planning to set up fish seed certification and accreditation agency for providing quality seeds and feeds to the trout fish farmers. In order to modernize the technology and production processes throughout the trout value chain, a ready to eat smoked trout canning centre is being set up at trout farm at Patlikuhal( Kullu) in association with ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology CIFT, Kochi.
To promote trout fish farming in the private sector in the state, financial assistance is being given under various centrally sponsored and state schemes for construction of trout raceways/units, hatcheries, feed mills, retail outlets etc. as per the guidelines. The department is also providing a trout insurance to trout growers under the state scheme.
Encouraging Fish Produce Organizations (FPO) is among the priorities of the state government, which envisages the development of post harvest infrastructure for fish products and makes profitable markets to avail them.
