Punjab Newsline, Chandigarh :
Making a significant stride in fish farming, Punjab is producing a total of 1,81,188 tons of fish annually from natural waters, private, and panchayati ponds. Currently, 43,973 acres are dedicated to fish farming in the state, stated Gurmeet Singh Khudian, cabinet minister.
He was addressing a state-level seminar organised by the Fisheries Department at a hotel in SAS Nagar (Mohali). The seminar aimed to educate fish farmers about new technologies, best practices, and innovative methods of fish farming. More than 300 farmers and officers participated in this seminar.
To further promote the fish farming sector, Khudian also shared that approximately 14 crore quality fish seed is produced at 16 government fish seed farms annually and distributed to farmers at subsidised rates.
In addition to fish farming, Punjab is also making progress in shrimp farming. Thousands of acres of land in the five southwestern districts – Sri Muktsar Sahib, Bathinda, Mansa, Faridkot, and Fazilka – were previously unsuitable for agriculture due to water-logging and salinity. However, shrimp farming is now being practiced in these districts, providing farmers with a net profit of Rs 2.50 to Rs 4.00 lakh per acre, said S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian.