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Punjab fisheries Dept offers incentives package

LAHORE: The Punjab Fisheries Department has offered a package of incentives to help promote, strengthen and encourage fish farming in private sector to meet the ever increasing needs of cheap proteins in the country.

Unfolding the distinctive features of the package, Director General, Fisheries Punjab, Dr Mohammad Nazir Bhatti in an interview here on Sunday said that facilities of soft terms loans, canal water at agricultural rate, bulldozers at highly subsidised rate, land on lease, quality fish seed at nominal rates, free technical guidance, advisory services and free refresher courses were being offered to farmers throughout the province.

He said that the number of fish farms in private sector is increasing day by day as it is one of the most profitable investments. Apart from that, fish is a cholesterol free food popular both for its taste and nutrition value, he observed.

He said that special advisory cells had also been established, one each at all districts of the province to guide and educate fish farmers about the latest techniques for maximum fish production per acre, effective disease control and feeding needs according to the breed.

Director General said that Punjab Fisheries Department has set up 14 fish seed sale points in various parts of the province, to provide disease-free, high quality, fast growing five crore fish seeds to private farmers.

He said for the breeding of culturable varieties of fish commonly known as Rohu, Mori, Thaila, Silver Carp and Grass Carp, several fish seed hatcheries and nurseries are presently engaged in rearing fingerlings (fish seed).

Nazir Bhatti said that all these units established on modern scientific lines are providing superior quality but cheap fish seed to private fish farmers at their doorsteps, he added.

He remarked that expert scientists are working round the clock at the Fisheries Research, Centre Manawan, to evolve new variety of fast growing fish seed to get maximum yield per acre.

He further disclosed that a new fish seed nursery unit with facilities for breeding and rearing had been established at Farooq Abad, district Sheikhupura over an area of 32 acre under second aquaculture development project to meet the needs of fish farmers, where the seed of the Chinese Carp was being produced and reared.

Dr Nazir Bhatti said that Fisheries Department will bring a total of 25,000 acres of land under fish farming during the current fiscal year. He said that the Punjab government had already declared fish farms as tax free projects. APP