From Our Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI, July 11: Meghalaya Minister for Fisheries and Animal Husbandry, AL Hek, highlighted the unique problems of Northeast including Meghalaya despite having a huge potential for the blue revolution and sought the central government’s help starting from funding to implementation of fisheries in the region.
Talking about the adverse climatic conditions of the hilly region, Hek demanded that the Ministry should release funds to the Northeast since it gets only about six months in a year for any developmental work due to rains and extreme cold. He was addressing the Fisheries Summer Meet for this year at the Fisheries Summer Meet, 2023, organised by the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, at Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, which concluded on Tuesday.
The two-day meeting was inaugurated by the Union Minister for Fisheries, Parshottam Rupala, on Monday. Rupala also virtually inaugurated 176 fishery-related projects at a cost of Rs 4.3 crore all over the country including 16 in Meghalaya during the event.
Timely release of funds will allow for projects to be completed expeditiously, Hek said. He also demanded an enhancement of allocation of funds to the state to promote Key Stone Projects, ideal and unique to a state’s achievement of maximum sustainable yield.
Hek said that with the change of time, besides traditional fish farming, recreational fisheries promoting Eco Aqua-tourism will give a new boost to this sector. As it is, angling is a popular sport in the Northeast even before it started in a big way in other parts of the country.
The Meghalaya minister also emphasised on Indigenous Ornamental Fisheries which has a huge market in next door South East Asian countries and gels with India’s Act East policy. He stressed on solar power for Electricity Intensive Fish Farming Systems and hatcheries.
“Major bottleneck in a successful culture and growth of the inland aquaculture system (Carps etc) is Quality Feed and Quality Seed. Support to Government Infrastructure Development for Piloting Advanced Technology in Fisheries for serving as production and Farmer demonstration Units,” the minister said.
The 16 fisheries projects in Meghalaya are spread over West Khasi Hills, East Jaintia Hills, West Jaintia Hills, Ri-Bhoi, North Garo Hills, South Garo Hills, and South West Garo Hills. Meghalaya has taken up fisheries in a mission mode by the MDA Government.
