Meghalaya govt sanctions Rs 10 cr for hatcheries to boost fish production
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma announced plans to expand aquaculture by 4000 hectares to make the state self-sufficient.
(Representational Image)
Shillong, March 7: To offset the shortage in the supply chain, the Meghalaya Government has sanctioned Rs 10 crore for constructing 35 hatcheries and boosting fish production in the State.
Replying to a query during the Question Hour, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said that after construction of the 35 additional hatcheries, the State would have a total of 96 hatcheries, which would facilitate production of fish and meet the growing demands of the market.
Currently, the 61 hatcheries produce 24.7 million fingerlings. "The total demand for fish in the State is 32,000 metric tonnes," he said while the fish production in the State is 20,000 metric tonnes.
The State has to import 12,000 metric tonnes to meet the shortage. The Chief Minister stated that a new aquaculture mission would be launched and under it, an additional 4,000 hectares of land would come under aquaculture and make the State self-sufficient in fish production.
Moreover, there is a huge demand-supply gap in the production of feed for fish production. Currently, the State produces 778 metric tonnes of feed, while the demand is for 30,000 metric tonnes.
"The Government has sanctioned funds for setting up 12 new feed mills and up-grading 17 others," Sang-ma said.