Date:19/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/19/stories/2008101956550700.htm

Tamil Nadu - Tirunelveli

Collector is a fish farmer too

P. Sudhakar

“The unemployed can easily earn Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 40,000 a year from a small pond”

— Photo: A. Shaikmohideen

Setting an example: Collector G. Prakash, left, at the fish pond in his camp office in Tirunelveli.

TIRUNELVELI: Collector G. Prakash has identified an interesting way of augmenting his revenue by becoming a freshwater fish farmer, setting an example for the unemployed youth to take up this vocation on a commercial basis.

While delivering his presidential address in a workshop to train inland fish farmers on freshwater fish culture at the Centre for Aquaculture Research and Extension (CARE) in St. Xavier’s College, Palayamkottai, a year ago, Mr. Prakash had asked the CARE’s then director M.A. Haniffa, an expert in freshwater fish culture, to establish a model pond for fish culture on the premises of his camp office. He wanted to make it known to the public, particularly fish farmers and the unemployed youth, that freshwater fish culture was a highly remunerative venture.

And a pond, measuring 30 X 60 feet, was dug behind his official residence on the North High Ground Road under the Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana scheme and murrel fingerlings were released in the water 11 months ago.

An old fishnet was spread over the pond to protect the fingerlings from being poached and about 750 grams of chicken waste (intestine) collected from the shops was cleaned and chopped into small pieces to be fed to the carnivore fingerlings every day.

40-kg catch

After the Collector became a part-time inland fish farmer, the CARE used to take the unemployed trainees and farmers to this pond to encourage them to go for fish culture on a commercial basis. On the day of harvest, to everyone’s surprise, the pond produced more than 40 kilograms of fish, worth over Rs. 8,000!

“Though I’m very much interested in farming operations, particularly fish culture, I could not pay much attention to this venture owing to various official engagements.

But the pond has given us excellent revenue besides giving us highly nutritious and tasty murrel fishes,” said an elated Mr. Prakash, adding that the unemployed youths and others could easily earn Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 40,000 from a small pond annually if they develop it on commercial basis.

The Collector, who is prepared to release loans to self-help groups through Mahalir Thittam for freshwater fish culture, is preparing the pond for the next round of murrel season.