Self -sufficiency in fish production stressed at farmers’ training session

SHILLONG: The need to be self sufficient in fish production was highlighted in a seminar held at ICAR, Umiam on Thursday.
The experts gathered there said the demand for fish consumption is high whereas the supply is low which results in the import of fish from outside the state.
This was one of the main issues discussed during the inaugural session of the four day training programme on ‘skill development on fish breeding & seed production’ at the at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research in Umiam.
The programme is being organised by the Division of Fisheries, ICAR Research Centre, North East Region in collaboration with DRDA, Jowai , District Basin Development Unit, West Jaintia Hills District and Meghalaya Institute of Entrepreneurship, MBDA Shillong.
The four day programme is a residential training programme for 16 progressive fish farmers from West Jaintia Hills. Farmers hailing from Amlarem, Laskien and Thadlaskien C&RD Blocks attended the programme and registered with their respective EFCs at the BDO’s office.
The vice chairperson of West Jaintia Hills Basin Development Unit Donny M Wallang said that the training is aimed at improving the skills of the farmers which would lead to an increase in the supply of seed and fish production to meet the demand of fish consumers in the district before supplying to other districts as well.
Director of ICAR-RC-NEH N Prakash urged the farmers to take up fish farming as an employment opportunity for them and their families and not to depend on government jobs.
The programme was chaired by Sanjay K Das, Head and PS, Division of Fisheries, ICAR-RC-NEH Region. The farmers were accompanied by Daphi Kharhunai, BDO Jowai.
NE livestock farmers gather at Umiam
Livestock farmers and veterinarians from the Northeastern states assembled at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to understand the problems in animal husbandry and production with the ultimate goal of enhancing the income of the farmers and development in the livestock sector in the region.
This is for the first time that Livestock Production Division of the ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) and National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB), Hyderabad organised a programme for the benefit of the farmers of the region.
The central idea of the workshop was to understand the pending problems of farmers and veterinarians in the grass root level and to understand the scope of modern biotechnology in solving these problems.
The farmers who attended the programme were selected from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s aspiration districts of all the North Eastern states.
The districts are Namsai from Arunachal Pradesh, Chandel from Manipur, Ri Bhoi from Meghalaya, Mamit from Mizoram, Kiphire from Nagaland, Dhalai from Tripura and West Sikkim.
Inaugurating the programme Director of Department of Biotechnology, A.K.K Rawat, said that ICAR is the only institute which has direct interaction with the farmers and is in close proximity with them which makes ICAR unique in itself.
He further emphasized on the maximum use of technology for the benefit of the farmers.
Rawat said that problems vary from region to region and the solution should be region specific and the motive should be prioritizing the farmers.
NIAB Director Subeer S. Majumdar briefed on the importance of knowing the real issues of the farmers.
“The real issues of the farmers need to be sorted and the programme intends to solve the issues faced by the farmers at the grassroots level,” he said.
The technical session witnessed farmers interacting with scientists in which the existing problems and issues of livestock rearing in the region were comprehensively and systematically discussed with livestock farmers and field veterinarians. (With inputs from UNI)