Agriculture Minister Badal said, on Sunday, that work has been done at many levels in the field of agriculture, animal husbandry and fisheries in the state of Kerala, in which technical inclusion is an important part. It is our effort to implement the excellent agriculture policy and technology of Kerala in Jharkhand. Under the Badal’s leadership, the team that went on Kerala tour is continuously visiting different agricultural institutes to implement new techniques of agriculture in Jharkhand. In this sequence, he, along with Secretary Agriculture, Abu Bakar Siddiqui and departmental officials, visited the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT), Kochi, Kerala, where technical and educational arrangements related to agriculture, fisheries were discussed.
The Director of the institute was discussed in detail by the Minister about the fisheries resources of Jharkhand and accordingly the needs of the State. There was a discussion about providing techniques related to how to catch fish from abandoned mines and reservoirs located in the State to the scientists there. During the discussion, the Minister said that by sending his team to the State, after collecting the detailed survey and information of ponds, design the boat and net according to the requirement of the State, so that people associated with fish hunting and fishing business could get maximum benefit. In the state of Jharkhand, for the cage culture being done on a large scale, especially by placing traps outside the cages, the income of fish farmers also increases.
Badal said that the newly designed motor boat powered by solar power by the institute can also prove to be a milestone in the interest of the State, in fishing and fishing tourism, as well as the aluminum boat and rubber boat designed by the institute and it will also prove useful for hunting fish in the reservoirs. A detailed discussion was also held on the marketing strategy of pangasius and monosex tilapia being produced in cages in the state and how maximum benefits can be given to fish producers by adding value to the fish produced in cages. In this regard, the institute was invited to develop value added products according to the taste of the people of Jharkhand.
For the Hygienic Fish Market located in Dhurva Ranchi in the state, discussion was also held on providing technology by the Minister for the sale of fish in hygienic condition and proper processing of fish waste products, on which the Scientists of the institute told that the institute has developed a refrigerated box for the sale of fish in hygienic condition at a cost of only Rs 65,000, in which fish can be sold properly, as well as the usefulness of the equipment for removing fish scales (Choita) is also discussed. There was talk about the technique of using those waste products as a fish mill. With regard to strengthening the state-run Jhascofish, the Minister requested the Director of the institute to prepare a work plan to make Jhascofish self-dependent, on which the Director told that very soon a team will be sent to study it and after that it will be done. The Minister will be informed about the action taken in this direction.
In the end, Badal spoke to the Director of the institute on the knowledge enhancement of the students studying fisheries science of the state due to the daily new experiments being done in fisheries processing and fisheries engineering of Gumla, the only fisheries college of the State run by the State Government, on which Labs based on different types of standard parameters were visited by the institute and scientists were also invited to prepare a work plan for strengthening the College of Fisheries Science, Gumla according to their expertise.
On the occasion, Siddiqui said that CIFT’s cooperation will be taken in the field of technology so that the farmers of the State can get more profit with less expenditure. He said that we are far ahead in seed and fish production, but if technology is incorporated in this sector, positive results will emerge in the interest of its farmers and the way to make them economically independent will be easy. Agriculture Director, Chandan Kumar, Deputy Director Cow, Manoj Tiwari, Fisheries Officer, Pradeep Kumar were present on this occasion.