SHILLONG: To tap opportunities to boost the local fish production, this year the Department of Fisheries has introduced a scheme called Paddy cum Fish Culture.
State Fisheries Minister Comingone Ymbon told The Shillong Times, “There is a huge gap of fish production in the state and there is a need to bridge this gap. The government will provide the scheme free of cost which will definitely fill the gap in fish production.”
With the scheme having a combination of paddy culture and fish culture, farmers can get double earnings from fish and paddy and this will ensure maximum utilisation of land of the paddy fields.
“The farmers will earn a double harvest from paddy and fish”, he said.
The minister informed that he has encouraged other public representatives to take advantage of the scheme which is provided by the government free of cost.
Ymbon said the department has started the scheme at Shangpung in Jaintia Hills.
When asked, the minister said the fish found in the paddy cum fish Culture is common carp.
“East Garo Hills has become more or less self sufficient in local fish production. But here in Khasi Hills, the production is still very less,” he said.
During the ban on fish import fearing the presence of formalin in fish last year, farmers from different blocks of East Khasi Hills District sold their local fish on the premises of State Central Library and other places.
People made a beeline for the fish despite the high cost.
Recently, a retail fish outlet of the department of Fisheries was set up on the premises of the department at Cleve Colony which will give the much needed market for the farmers.
The state government is on a mission mode starting with Meghalaya State Aqua Culture Mission (MSAM) 1.0 and MSAM 2.0. Although MSAM failed short of fulfilling its target, the government hopes to achieve success with MSAM 2.0.
