Kamalanagar, 21 December, 2019: Department of Fishery, Chakma Autonomous District Council inaugurated the 3-Day training on ‘Composite Fish Culture System’ at Kamalanagar sponsored by National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), Hyderabad. Some 50 fish farmers attended the training programme.

Dg. Rasik Mohan Chakma, CEM, CADC and Dg. Hiranand Tongchangya, EM i/c Fisheries graced the inaugural programme as Chief Guest and Guest of Honour.

The training will be given to some 300 selected fish farmers in six batches all over CADC and it will be conducted at Longpuighat and Borapansury besides Kamalanagar. All the trainees will be provided manual on composite fish culture. The training is an outcome of constant effort with NFDB to avail various schemes under it. The CEM speaking informed that there is another project namely “Development of Fish Farming in CADC” submitted through the state government which did not materialize due to delay in submission. He assured it will be pursued the next time.

While urging the fish farmers to take up fish farming with commercial interest the CEM asserted that we have to be fed up of living in poverty and take the profession as a challenge to make a living out of it. He informed that on enquiry from the fish suppliers from Silchar and Lunglei it has been estimated that at least business to the tune of Rs.20 lakh get transacted on fish supply to Kamalanagar per month. “This 20 lakh can be yours and this training programme is being conducted with that object”, he said to the trainees.

“To make fish farming a business we have to leave behind the primitive way and adopt the modern way of fish culture and the purpose of this training is to equip you with the modern ways”.

While explaining how fish farming can be a wise choice over wet rice cultivation he said fish farming is more profitable and if it fetches money rice can be bought which is in abundance.

In stressing the need to be competitive in pricing the local fish with respect to fish from Silchar he urged for commercial scale production of fish.

Dg. Hiranand Tongchangya speaking in the programme reminded that fish supplied from Silchar are medicated and not fresh and therefore less healthy and less tasty. He also said that we can give a competition to the fish supply business as our area has the potential for fish farming.