Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Dev Sai congratulated
Raipur, 19 November 2024
Chhattisgarh state has once again achieved a proud achievement at the national level in the field of fisheries. Kanker district of Chhattisgarh has been selected for the Best Inland District Award in the field of fisheries in the country. Kanker district will receive this national award on the occasion of World Fisheries Day on 21st November. Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Panchayati Raj Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lallan Singh will give this honor in a program organized at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Panchayati Raj Professor S.P. Singh Baghel and Shri George Kurien will also be present in the program.
Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Dev Sai has expressed happiness over Kanker being selected for the Best Inland District Award of the country. He has congratulated and wished all the fish farmers and officials of the Fisheries Department of the state including Kanker for this proud achievement. The Chief Minister has said that despite being a landlocked state, Chhattisgarh is at the forefront in the country in the field of fisheries. Chhattisgarh ranks sixth in the country in fish seed production. This achievement is the result of the hard work of the fish farmers of our state. Chhattisgarh is not only completely self-sufficient in terms of fish seed production, but is also exporting fish seed to neighboring states.
It is worth mentioning that Chhattisgarh has a total of 1,29,039 water sources, whose water area is 2.032 lakh hectares, of which 96 percent are engaged in fish farming in some form or the other. 3571 km of river water area is also available. Additional water area is being created for intensive fish farming. Till now a total of 6783 hectares of water area has been created. There was a time when Chhattisgarh was dependent on the state of West Bengal for fish seed. By building a total of 82 new hatcheries and producing 546 crore fish seed per year through 115 hatcheries, the state has not only become self-sufficient but is also exporting fish seed to other states.
Currently, 7.30 lakh tonnes of fish is being produced per year in Chhattisgarh. The state ranks 8th in the country in inland fish production. So far, 9551 cages, 415 bioflocs, 06 RAS and 253 biofloc ponds have been installed in reservoirs and closed mines for additional fish production in the state. Wholesale fish markets have been established in Raipur, Durg, Bilaspur and Janjgir. The fish farmers of the state are being registered under the NFDP scheme. The fish farmers of Chhattisgarh state are being provided loan facility from the bank through Kisan Credit Card. Short term loans are also being given to fish farmers at interest ranging from one percent to three percent as per eligibility.
