Farmers lured to fishery

GODAWARI (KAILALI), DECEMBER 30: Farmers have been lured to the fishery in Sudurpaschim Province of late. Fish farming is done in more than 200 natural ponds and a hundred other commercial ponds. The government record shows that 10,000 metric tons of fish are produced every year in the province. Chief of the fishery development centre of Geta, Kailali, Surya Shahi, informed that Kailali and Kanchapur districts were being developed as centres for fishery in the province.

The production has met almost 75 per cent of the demand here, while 25 per cent is imported from India and other provinces. Even the consumption of this aquatic animal is on the rise here. Annually, the average consumption per person is two kg of fish. According to Office Chief Shahi, per person consumption of fish would be increased to 10 kg in the coming 10 years. Similarly, the production of aquatic animals is aimed at reaching 30,000 metric tons per year in a decade.

However, the farmers have complained that they were not getting fries, feed and medication on time, while marketing is an equally pressing problem. The Centre further informed that around 4,800 metric tons of fish are consumed in Kailali and Kanchanpur annually. Fishery is being done in ponds constructed on 1,750 hectares of land in two districts. Of 1,750 hectares of land, the natural ponds cover 1,304 hectares and the artificial ponds 250 hectares.

Three metric tons of fish per hectare is being produced in artificial ponds and one metric ton per hectare in the natural pond. The two districts used to import around 90 per cent of fish from India 10 years ago, which are now producing fries of different species. The Centre has been producing more fries than the target in the recent period and distributing them to different districts.