For the first time in Manipur, fish experts from Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (ICAR-CIFA) Bhubaneswar visited the state and conducted a three-day training programme on ornamental fish farming at ICAR Manipur centre premises in Imphal.
The training programme which will continue till November 16 was formally inaugurated at the hall of ICAR Manipur centre at Lamphelpat near Imphal on Wednesday.
In her key note address, Senior Scientist Dr Ch Basuda said the aquaculture and potentials of ornamental fishes in the region would be an area of interest as very less people explore this sector in Manipur.
“I hope such training programmes will help our educated farmers in learning more on ornamental fish world and its trade prospects,” she said.
Principal Scientist Dr Saroj Kumar Swain speaking to Northeast Now on the sideline of the training programme which was attended by around 30 farmers coming from various parts of the state, said they are targeting the unemployed youths of Manipur to take up ornamental aquaculture as a potential entrepreneurial avenue.
“If we could accommodate only 1-2% of the educated unemployed youths of the state in this new avenue, we would be able to address some of the livelihood issues of the state,” he said.
“So apart from giving training to the educated youths, we may also take up necessary follow up programmes of the trainings in the coming days,” he added.
Sharing the success of the ornamental fish village in Odisha and West Bengal, the visiting fish scientists also expressed the possibility of developing ornamental fish village in the region considering its existing potentials.
According to CIFA scientist, around 17 fish species including some indigenous fish varieties from north eastern states have been practically cultured at their institution and started to transfer the technology as well as the said fish species having ornamental values to the farmers for commercial breeding.
