GUWAHATI: If all goes well with the research being conducted by the Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (CIBA), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare), Assam will soon start producing Milk Fish. There are researches ongoing by CIBA for production of Milk Fish in Assam.
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Director of CIBA Dr. Kuldeep K. Lal talking to a team of media delegates from Assam, who were taken to Tamil Nadu by Press Information Bureau, said, “A research is ongoing with Gauhati University and very soon Assam will start producing Milk Fish,” adding that the research is in final stage and CIBA is looking for young entrepreneurs who can take the initiative of starting the production process.
The Milk Fish is said to taste like the more celebrated Hilsa. It needs to be mentioned that Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, under the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India established the Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (CIBA) on April 1, 1987. The Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture serves as the nodal agency for the development of brackishwater aquaculture in the country. The headquarters of the Institute is located at Chennai with an experimental field station at Muttukadu (MES), about 30 km south of Chennai.
Lal said that fish production infrastructure is required to be developed in every state, including Assam. The Fishery Department of the Assam Government mostly depends on fish coming from different states and countries. The fish prices are not regulated as there is no proper policy in the department. But the department claims it can be self-sustained or dependent by 2026 if it receives an estimated ₹3997 crore from various funding agencies. A senior official of the Fishery Department talking to GPlus on condition of anonymity said that there are various challenges to being self-sufficient in fish production.
“To be self-sufficient by 2026, the department requires ₹3997 crore according to an estimation made for the development of the state fishery,” said the official, adding that at present, there are various challenges the department is facing to be self-dependent.
There are many challenges that the department is facing at present that includes the non-availability of quality fish seed, poor hatchery management, less fish seed production, shortage of quality fish seed, etc. The official mentioned that the under-utilisation of water is also a cause of concern. Periodic natural calamities and acid soil and water conditions are also challenges the Fishery Department is facing, the official said.
The CIBA director said that Assam does not have fish feed mills which is vital for fish production. The director said that Gauhati University is working with CIBA to start production of Milk Fish in Assam, and once the research is complete entrepreneurs can start producing it in Assam.