A one-day field day and fish seed distribution programme to increase tribal farmers’ income was organised by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in collaboration with the Ri-Bhoi Farmers’ Association today at the ICAR facility in Umiam, Ri-Bhoi.
The objective of the programme is to assist the fish farmers to stock their fish ponds with quality fish fingerlings to enhance fish production.
Twenty farmers from Ri-Bhoi attended the programme, which was held keeping in mind Covid-19 protocols. The programme was inaugurated by ICAR Umiam director VK Mishra, and a welcome speech was delivered by principal scientist SK Das on the importance of fish farming by using good quality fingerlings and also the potential of aquaculture for enhancing food and income security.
Mishra encouraged the farmers to take up fish farming to double their income. He further urged the farmers to take up new entrepreneurial avenues, which ICAR will help in by providing technical knowledge.
Twenty thousand fingerlings comprising local common carp, amur carp and koi carp, which were sourced at the ICAR Fisheries Farm Complex, were handed out to the 20 farmers, who also received a demonstration on various aspects of scientific fish farming.
