SHILLONG: The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) is ready to join hands with the state government to cash in on the fish-producing potential in Meghalaya.
The Executive Member (EM) in charge of Fisheries, Mitchell Wankhar, has said that he will speak to the Fisheries Minister, Dasakhiat Lamare, in this regard.
Wankhar said that while the state government receives funds from the Centre to increase the fish production in the state, the Council has a tough time procuring monetary aid. It may be mentioned that the state has launched the Aquaculture Mission with an aim to boost local fish production.
Stating that Meghalaya stares at dearth of fish supply & production, the EM said the fish market is grim owing to the flood situation in Andhra Pradesh. Unfortunately, the demand for fishes in Meghalaya is very high but the production is less.
“After the floods, the fishes have flooded the canals. There will be crisis, if not now then in the next 2-3 months. There will be less fishes in Andhra Pradesh which will then lead to a hike in the price of fishes.
If we can manage with the local production of fishes, then we can control the rate,” he suggested.
Again, there is high demand for local fish but the state cannot produce much, Wankhar remarked.
As for the ponds of the KHADC in Lai Lad, he said a proposal from the special assistance scheme has been placed for revamping the fish ponds and other infrastructure such as repairing the water tanks.
Wankhar added that there is a proposal for godowns and staff quarter for feeders, too.
The EM also looked forward in keeping updated with the modern techniques of fish farming. “There will be an inspection on Friday at Lai Lad to modernise the area. We also plan to repair and improve the infrastructure there and also to release more fingerlings,” he said.
There are currently four fish ponds in Lai Lad out of which three are being utilised.
On the other hand, Wankhar said that there will be a discussion in the department whether to sell the fishes in the market or in the exhibition.
