Gujarat Can Feed Fish to Entire Country

Dr Meenakumari said this while speaking in a state level stakeholder meet on 'Prospects of Scientific Freshwater Aquaculture' in Gujarat which was organized recently at the regional research centre of the Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (RRC-CIFA), a ICAR institute, reports TimesOfIndia.

Bhubaneswar-based CIFA's RRC is located at the Anand Agriculture University (AAU) campus in Anand district.

"Aquaculture industry is growing at 10 per cent," she said, adding that Gujarat has huge potential in freshwater aquaculture due its vast natural resources such as land and sweet water.

"The state can feed fish to the entire country if not consumed in the state due to lack of social acceptance for fish in the state," she said, after inaugurating the meet that was held primarily to know the status and to assess the opportunities of different aquaculture technologies in order to boost production and productivity of freshwater aquaculture in the state.

All stakeholders including academicians, researchers, administrators, development officers, progressive farmers, NGOs and traders were invited for this meeting in which AAU vice-chancellor Dr A M Sheikh, deputy commissioner of fisheries of Gujarat government and director of CIFA remained present.