Chandigarh, September 19 – Haryana Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal while announcing a big bonanza for the farmers who are doing the Fisheries business, said that the Haryana Government will give an advance subsidy to the farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) if there is any delay in the subsidy coming from the Central Government.

Besides this, the Chief Minister also announced for setting up of a testing lab related to this business in Sirsa. This will directly benefit the local farmers who are in this business as earlier, the farmers of this district had to especially go to Rohtak for the lab testing facility.

Sh. Manohar Lal was speaking at a workshop of shrimp farmers organized at Chormar Khera village in Sirsa district held on Monday.

He further announced that a wholesale fish market would also be opened in either Jhajjar or Gurugram district for the purchase and sale of fish. This would ensure the economic progress of the farmers. Like the Kisan Credit Card, the government is also providing the facility of credit cards to fish farmers. Similarly, the government is also holding discussions with banks and insurance companies for providing insurance facilities for fisheries as well, added Sh. Manohar Lal. 

The Chief Minister said that power consumption is a big issue in fish farming. At present, the government is providing electricity at the rate of 4.75 per unit to the farmers whose consumption is 20 kW. Fish farmers can also set up solar plants on their plots, for this a subsidy of Rs. 20,000 per horsepower, with a maximum limit of Rs 2 lakh is being given to them.

Aqua Park to come up in Bhiwani

The Chief Minister said that an aqua park, at a cost of Rs 30 crore would be established in Garwa village in the Bhiwani district. This aqua park will be established on 25 acres. In this, new research related to fish farming, the new variety of fish farming, and research on seeds will be carried out. This will directly benefit the fish farmers, he said.

The Chief Minister said that the benefits of the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana would be available for the next three years. Shrimp is exported in large quantities. This brings foreign exchange into the country, which is important for India's economic growth. Such projects will contribute towards fulfilling the Prime Minister, Sh. Narendra Modi’s dream for India to achieve the target of a 5 trillion-dollar economy and for this, India is working on new techniques related to fish farming, asserted Sh. Manohar Lal.

Chief Minister lauds farmers of Sirsa district for progressing in shrimp fisheries business

The Chief Minister said that Prime Minister, Sh. Narendra Modi is making several new schemes and projects to double the income of farmers. One of them is fisheries. Ordinary farmers cannot earn more by growing crops only but they can certainly earn more from animal husbandry, pisciculture, mushroom production, etc. Progressive farmers should go ahead and inspire other farmers to join them.

He also praised Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and Fisheries Minister, Sh. J.P Dalal and farmers of Sirsa district for progressing ahead in the shrimp fisheries business.

Target to increase shrimp production to 4000 MT

“We are continuously promoting the production of shrimp in saline land and waterlogged areas in Haryana. In the year 2014-15, the total area under shrimp farming was 70 acres and the total production was 140 MT only, which has now increased to 1250 acres and the production has also increased to 2900 MT during the year 2021-22,” said Sh. Manohar Lal.

He said that the State Government has set this year's target to increase this area from 1250 acres to 2500 acres and production from 2900 metric tonnes to 4000 metric tonnes.

The Chief Minister said that in the year 2014, 1 lakh metric tonnes of fish was produced in Haryana in a total farming area of 43000 acres and this year the target has been increased to 54000 acres. Besides this, the State Government has also set a target of increasing production to 2.10 lakh metric tonnes. A target has been set to provide 25 lakh fish seeds to the farmers in the state, added Sh. Manohar Lal.

State Government is standing shoulder to shoulder with the Farmers, Smt. Sunita Duggal

Sirsa MP Smt. Sunita Duggal said that for the past three days, the Chief Minister is in Sirsa. During his visit all the complainants who have attended the Jan Samvad Programme, the Chief Minister not only gave a patient hearing to all the complainants but also ensured on-the-spot redressal.

The farmers of the Sirsa district are going to get the benefit of shrimp fisheries business. It is a better option for the farmers to take a profit by doing fish farming on waterlogged areas. Along with the Central Government, the Haryana Government is also cooperating, she added.

Smt. Duggal called upon the farmers to move forward and assured them that the government is with them. Sirsa will now make a new unique identity by doing shrimp production.

Sirsa has played a significant role in bringing a revolution to the country, J.P Dalal

The Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and Fisheries Minister, Sh. J.P Dalal said that the farmers of Sirsa district deserve applause as they have played a pivotal role in bringing a new revolution in the country by doing shrimp fisheries business.

The farmers here have also shown the way to other farmers how the saline water which is considered a curse for agriculture can prove a boon by doing shrimp fisheries.  About   10 lakh acres of land in the state has saline water and water logging problem. Since all the farmers of the state cannot take the risk of doing shrimp fisheries by investing this much, but these 400 farmers who have successfully adopted this business have certainly written a success story, added the Minister.

Sh. Dalal said that there is no such business in which the investor can expect to earn profit in just six months, but in the shrimp fisheries business, the farmers not only get their investment but also earn profits within six months.

The Minister also requested the Chief Minister to ensure the timely arrangement of seeds for the farmers which are likely to come from Hyderabad.

He also said that the functioning of the fisheries department should be strengthened and testing labs should be opened for farmers doing fish farming. Besides this, a scheme should be made for setting up processing plants.

The Minister further urged that farmers should be provided loans from cooperative banks for fish farming and shrimp production.

“I have set a target of making 10000 farmers of the state financially prosperous by encouraging them to do shrimp fisheries business,” said Dalal.

Earlier, the Chief Minister visited the shrimp production plot of Smt. Veerpal Kaur, the beneficiary of Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana in Mithri village in Sirsa district.

During this, Special Secretary, Fisheries Department, Sh. Jaibir Singh Arya, Deputy Commissioner, Sh. Parth Gupta, Superintendent of Police, Dr. Arpit Jain and other senior officers were present.