As a means to boost domestic fish production in India, the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has given the go-ahead to a new project aimed at helping farmers add 500 cage farming units in along India’s southern shoreline in Kerala state.
Farmers participating in the project will be offered subsidy and technical support to carry out the cage culture as part of the INR 150 million (USD 2.7 million, EUR 2.3 million) project, which is funded by the National Fisheries Development Board. The project emerged following discussions about the quality of fish coming out of Kerala, according to CMFRI.
Approximately 40 percent of the program’s total expense will be allocated as subsidies to the farmers, who will conduct farming individually or in groups. Meanwhile, women and those from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes categories will get 60 percent subsidies, said CMFRI. Sea bass, pearl spot, cobia, pompano, and red snapper are the species to be grown in the 500 cages, which will be four meters wide and long, and three meters deep.
Approval for participation in the project will be given following an application process and a review of the potential cage locations for water and environmental conditions.
Three Aqua One Labs will also be set up as part of the initiative, to help train farmers on conduct surrounding cage farming. The labs will provide services such as water quality checks, sediment analysis, seed transportation, and disease management, CMFRI confirmed. About 50 percent of the total cost of the project will be allocated as a subsidy to those eligible to set up the Aqua One Labs, CMFRI said.
CMFRI will also manage the setting-up of a small-scale fish feed mill, it said.
