Aquaculture for all

Meet the farmerMeet the farmer: Yarangjang Imchen

Bacterial diseases Breeding & genetics Hatcheries +9 more

Yarangjang Imchen claims to be the first ornamental fish and shellfish farmer in the landlocked state of Nagaland in northeast India, operating 40 tanks in his backyard.

by Indian aquaculture specialist
Gurvinder Singh thumbnail
Yarangjang Imchen breeds ornamental fish and crayfish in his backyard

The 34-year-old entrepreneur started fish breeding five years ago and claims that the state has a huge potential in ornamental fish farming and that the government should look into creating more livelihoods in this sector.

What’s your name, age, role and country of operation?

My name is Yarangjang Imchen, 34. I’m an ornamental fish farmer and founder of Imchens Aquafarm in Dimapur.

What size is your farm and what species do you produce?

My farm is 0.0139 hectares. I am involved in breeding guppies, zebra fish, red cap oranda goldfish, Oscar fish, albino Oscar, lemon head oranda, neontetra and black neontetras.

Imchen breeds fish including guppies, zebra fish, goldfish and neontetras

What sort of production system do you operate?

I operate a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS).

Why did you decide to embark on a career in aquaculture?

Aquaculture is my passion and I have been designing aquaculture tanks for the past several years. I make customised aquarium tanks with sump systems and also do the decorations.

I felt that ornamental fish breeding has a lot of potential and decided to venture into it. I am making good profit out of it, as ornamental fishes are in huge demand across the state. I sell the fish to individuals and also to shopkeepers. I procure the fish from Kerala, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Imchen is capitalising on the rising demand for ornamental fish

What’s your ultimate ambition in the sector?

I want to increase the scale of my operations and start employing more people. I’d like to supply the entire north east. I previously tried to obtain a loan from the state government, but wasn’t able to submit my project on time.

The fisheries department should guide us in applying for loans, we are not educated enough to make such technical presentations. I share my expertise about fish farming to everyone who comes to me as I want the sector to grow.

What’s your biggest worry at work?

It’s too cold during winters in Nagaland. We need a good heating system to keep the tanks warm, as the fish is tropical in nature.

Imchen uses immersion rods to keep his tanks warm in winter

I need at least 3,000 Watts to heat the tanks but it’s too expensive due to the monthly power bill.

I use immersion rods to keep the tanks warm. But they are not enough. As a result, I face fish mortalities. We have long winters of at least 4-5 months as we live in a hilly terrain.

What’s your greatest achievement to date?

Building an RAS from a scratch by learning about it from the internet. I self-financed it and built it over time.

I also consider myself to be the first breeder of ornamental fish in Nagaland. I’m currently selling around 1,000 fish per month to individuals and shopkeepers.

Imchen sells around 1,000 fish per month to individuals and shopkeepers across Nagaland

What piece of equipment would you most like to have on your farm?

UV lights that kill bacteria, but these are quite expensive in Nagaland. Disease is one of the major problems that I face and it also results in high mortalities. I lost around 1,000 guppies last year due to disease.

What’s your favourite seafood dish?

Roasted prawns.

Create an account now to keep reading

It'll only take a second and we'll take you right back to what you were reading. The best part? It's free.

Already have an account? Sign in here

Series: Meet the farmer

Muga Fish Farm: from hobbyist to aquaculture excellence

Muga Fish Farm has undergone remarkable growth under the leadership of founder and director, George Muga – overcoming challenges and earning prestigious awards – and is now poised for growth through continued innovation and genetic advances.

Dr Hesham Haggag: Egypt's aquaponics supremo

Despite scepticism from some parts of the mainstream aquaculture sector, aquaponics can make a meaningful contribution to global food security, as well as a flourishing business, according to Dr Hesham Haggag – founder of Egypt’s first aquaponics business.

Southeast Nigeria’s catfish king

Moses Njoku Uwa is the founder and managing director of St Mosco FeedNation, the largest fish farming company in southeast Nigeria, which produces 560 tonnes of African catfish from 100 earth ponds each year.