Aquaculture for all

'Soft Loans for Fish Farmers Will be Raised to Rs 500m

LAHORE -Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries Provincial Secretary Naveed Akram Cheema has said that the amount of soft loan for farmers would be increased to Rs 500,000,000. He made the announcement during this week's Fish Farmers Convention 2008, organised by the Fisheries Department of the Fisheries Research and Training Institute.

Mr Cheema also confirmed that the government would provide all possible incentives to the fisheries sector. He said that barren lands could be used for fish farming, adding that recommendations to control aquatic pollution had been submitted to the government.

Reports in Pakistan's Daily Times say that the Biodiversity Hatchery proposed at Chashma Barrage would be built during the next fiscal year and negotiations involving the installation of single-phase electricity at small fish farms was underway with the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA).

Progress in Fish Culture

Fisheries Department Director General Dr Muhammad Ayub said that free technical assistance was being provided to farmers. The ‘soft loan’ scheme, had enabled more than 800 acres to be brought into fish culture during 2006-07.

Recommendations have also been submitted to the government with regard to a national inland fisheries institute. Farmers at this years convention highlighted various problems faced by the farmers but said that loan-taking systems was bringing benefits.

The convention aims at forging better communication between the departments and the farmers in order to discuss the latest methods of fish farming

View the Daily Times story by clicking here.
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