Punjab marks World Fisheries Day as Gurmeet Singh Khudian highlights 2 lakh tonnes of fish production and PMMSY support for farmers’ aquaculture projects.

Punjab Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development, and Fisheries Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian emphasized the state’s outstanding advancements in fisheries development, transforming aquaculture into a sustainable production and economic powerhouse, on November 21, World Fisheries Day.

Speaking about the state’s aquaculture development, Khudian said that Punjab’s fisheries industry has grown significantly, with fish farms spanning 43,685 acres and producing an astounding two lakh metric tonnes of fish annually. With 1,034 acres of salty lands being used to produce about 2,759 metric tonnes of shrimp, the state’s creative approach to shrimp farming has also paid off, demonstrating its potential in sustainable aquaculture methods and boosting the state’s economy.

He stated that Punjab has set up 16 Government Fish Seed Farms to encourage this expansion by offering farmers premium fish seed at reasonable prices. Additionally, the state is actively pushing the PMMSY by providing significant 40%–60% subsidies for a range of projects. The Fisheries department has already given 683 beneficiaries subsidies totaling Rs 31.04 crores through PMMSY, S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian said, adding that the funding supports a variety of projects, such as the construction of new ponds for the farming of fish and shrimp, Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS), Biofloc units, Fish Feed Mills, and vehicles for the transportation of fish and fish products.

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Khudian encouraged all farmers to keep up their proactive role in increasing productivity while celebrating fish and shrimp farmers and other stakeholders on World Fisheries Day. The state government is dedicated to offering all the assistance required to advance this career and guarantee “Annadata’s” success.

According to the Fisheries Minister, the Punjab government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, is making every effort to utilize the province’s water resources for the benefit of farmers and sustainable growth. To transform once unproductive lands into thriving economic assets, the Fisheries department has been putting a lot of effort into building strong infrastructure and increasing fish productivity.

Rahul Bhandari, Principal Secretary of the agency of Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, and Dairying Development, congratulated the fish and shrimp farmers and announced that on October 31 of this year, the agency designated the Rohu (Labeo rohita) fish as the “State Fish.” Additionally, he highlighted a recent initiative from the Punjab Fisheries Development Board that supports the rehabilitation of ancient private ponds and the building of fish ponds in low-lying areas.