Bhubaneswar, Aug 24 (PTI) To provide employment to
people during the pandemic period, the Odisha government has
launched a new scheme for promoting intensive aquaculture
through Biofloc technology in fisheries, a minister said.

Fisheries and Animal Resources Minister Arun Kumar
Sahoo said the scheme will provide livelihood support to
entrepreneurs, unemployed youth and interested progressive
fish farmers and will also increase fish production in the
state. He said this scheme is most suitable for youths who
face unemployment during the pandemic.

Biofloc based farming system is a new technology for
the promotion of intensive fish/ shrimp production in a
limited area without significantly increasing the usage of the
basic natural resources of water and land.

A person having small landholding (as small as 150-200
square metre of land) and having either municipal piped water
supply or bore well water supply can establish this business
with a small investment.

This programme aims to support fish farmers and young
entrepreneurs for generation of income and livelihood support,
he said.

Biofloc system is suitable for growing freshwater fish
species such as GIFT Tilapia, Magur, Pangasius, Anabas, Common
Carp and others depending on local market demands.

In Biofloc technology, the waste organic matter in the
tank, such as feed waste, is digested using probiotics
(helpful bacteria) and carbon source such as molasses and
gets converted to fish feed.

In normal pond based farming system, one acre of an
earthen tank (4000 square metre area) produces about 2,000 kg
of fish in 6 months; while in biofloc fish farming system, the
same 2000 kg fish can be produced only from 4 small tanks of
each 4-metre diameter and 1.2-metre depth installed in a floor
area of about 100-150 square metre, the minister said.

Each biofloc tank is stocked with about 1,000-1,500
numbers of quality fish (2-3 cm) or fingerlings (8-10 cm) with
a target of 500 kg fish production over a 6 month period.

Fish grows to about 200 grams within 3 months and 700
-800 grams within 6 months. Therefore, depending on the local
market demand, fish can be partially harvested on a daily
basis to generate daily income for farmers. Biofloc farming
system is also suitable for urban and semi-urban areas.

The minister said it can be set up even on terraces of
buildings and backyard. It offers live or fresh fish to
surrounding customers thus fetching higher market prices for
the producer.

The unit cost for installation of a Biofloc unit of 2
tanks is Rs 1.50 lakh, while a biofloc unit of 6 tanks costs
approximately Rs 4 lakh.

The state government provides a subsidy of 40 per cent
while 60 per cent subsidy is provided to SC & ST beneficiaries
for this scheme.

This new and emerging technology will provide an
accelerated boost to the fish production of the state and
encourage small landholders and entrepreneurs to take up fish
farming in the state, the minister said, adding that the
government will provide all technical know-how to implement
the project. PTI AAM RG
RG RG

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Disclaimer :- This story has not been edited by Outlook staff and is auto-generated from news agency feeds. Source: PTI

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