India-based fish-farming firm Khyber Aquaculture has opened a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) trout facility in Kashmir.
The facility is located on an 8-acre site beside the Sindh River in Kashmir’s Ganderbal district and will include hatchery, grow-out, processing, and packaging facilities. The facility was built at a cost of more than INR 1 billion (USD 10.5 million, EUR 9.2 million), and Khyber has plans to raise annual production capacity at the farm from an initial 1,500 metric tons (MT) of Himalayan trout to 7,000 MT over the next three to five years.
According to Khyber, RAS technology allows the farm to reuse and recycle water, ensuring controlled conditions for year-round trout production. The facility keeps water temperatures between 10 and 14 degrees Celsius and dissolved oxygen levels at 8 to 12 milligrams per liter, aligning with ideal conditions for trout production.
The operation uses eyed ova bred in the U.S. and Denmark, together with farming systems sourced from Denmark, France, and Germany. According to the company, the equipment is designed to improve survival rates by 25 to 30 percent, reduce feed conversion ratios, and limit exposure to pathogens. Its hatchery can produce as many as 20 million fingerlings a year.
Fresh, chilled, and frozen supplies from the project are expected to become available starting in the third quarter of India’s current fiscal year.
“It has taken us over five years to be completely ready,” Khyber Group Chairman and Managing Director Umar Tramboo said. “We want to be known as a platform for scaling trout farming with data-driven systems and localized adaptation.”
Tramboo added that operations at the new facility will help support more than 300 farmers under India’s Holistic Agriculture Development Program by providing access to modern farming systems and markets. Khyber Aquaculture said the project, at full capacity, may also create more than 3,000 indirect career opportunities through fish farming, processing, packaging, and related supply chain activity.
India’s trout market stood at 4,700 MT of supply in 2025, according to figures from market research company IMARC Group cited by Khyber Aquaculture in a release about the new facility. That market is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.86 percent through 2034.
Key drivers for this growth include rising consumer demand and growing awareness of the fish's high protein and omega-3 benefits. Additionally, market expansion has been supported by government initiatives aimed at boosting aquaculture production.
Khyber Aquaculture was established in 2022, producing Himalayan trout for domestic and international markets. Its parent company, Khyber Group, operates businesses in hospitality, cement, real estate, healthcare, and aquaculture.
