Former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had made a plan to make Bihar the number one inland fisheries state in the country. Now Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary is taking this scheme forward. The Chief Minister reviewed the Vision 2030-Bihar Fisheries Priority Project and prepared a roadmap to increase fish production to 50,200 MT through 8 major projects. The Chief Minister said that Vision 2030 will not only increase fish production but will also increase the income and employment of families associated with fish farming. This will also strengthen the rural economy of Bihar.
Secretary of Dairy, Fisheries and Animal Resources Department, Shirat Kapil Ashok gave a presentation in the meeting. He said that under Vision 2030, work will be done directly in 1,848.75 hectare area through 8 priority projects while 9,357 hectare area will get the benefit of these projects. A target of additional fish production of 50,200 metric tons has been set from these projects. For these projects, financial help will be taken from FIDF and Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana i.e. PMMSY. Along with increasing fish production, this will also boost processing, packing and marketing of fish.
5 special fishery clusters will be formed from Siwan to Motihari
Keeping in view the need of the area and the facilities available there, special fisheries clusters will be formed in 5 districts of Bihar. Their objective is to promote fish farming and activities.
1. Siwan Wetland Cluster: Fish production will be increased by better development of wetlands here.
2. Saran Scampi Clusters: Here the focus will be on the production of large freshwater prawns i.e. scampi.
3. Munger Cage Cluster: Cage culture i.e. fish farming in net cages will be promoted in Ganga and other reservoirs.
4. Mithila Wetland Cluster: Especially in Madhubani region, fish farming will be promoted through wetlands.
5. Motihari Samagra Fisheries Cluster: Along with fish production, facilities for its processing and marketing will also be developed here.
Fish production will increase with modern technology
In the review meeting, Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary directed the officials to work expeditiously on fisheries schemes. He said that a plan should be made in a phased manner to increase fish production. The Chief Minister said that there is no shortage of water in Bihar. Ponds, wetlands and rivers should be used better. Adoption of modern technology and scientific methods will increase fish production and the income of families involved in fish farming will also increase. He also stressed on strengthening the fisheries cooperation societies.
The system will be strengthened from production to market
The Chief Minister said that there is a lot of potential in the fisheries sector in Bihar. It is not enough to just increase fish production but it is necessary to strengthen the entire system from production to processing and market. For this, it has been asked to work on arrangements for cold storage, processing units and market connectivity. This will create new employment opportunities in rural areas and the rural economy will also be strengthened.
The government believes that the fisheries sector can play an important role in strengthening the blue economy of Bihar. At present, fish production in Bihar is less than the demand, hence fish has to be imported from other states. After increasing production under Vision 2030, Bihar will be able to meet its own needs and also send fish and fish products to other states. This can also increase the state's earnings.
