Waterlogging woes to wealth: Hoshiarpur farmer’s inspiring fish farming journey

Decades ago, this husbandman faced the harsh world of waterlogging caused by seasonal streams, locally known arsenic Choes, which rendered his onshore unsuitable for cultivating wheat and reduced paddy yields. With astir 30 acres of his 75-acre associated household onshore waterlogged, helium struggled to revive it but successful vain. However, successful 1997, an cultivation serviceman introduced him to the conception of food farming, which turned retired to beryllium a life-changing solution.

“I had nary cognition astir food farming initially, but with little grooming and authorities support, I started with 5 acres. The results were promising, and implicit the years, I converted the full 30-acre waterlogged country into food ponds,” helium said.

“Starting small, present I run respective food ponds connected my land, rearing 5 varieties of fish, including Indian taxon similar Rohu, Katla, and Murag, arsenic good arsenic Chinese varieties specified arsenic Grass Carp and Common Carp. Each acre of his food workplace generates an income of Rs 3 to Rs 3.5 lakh annually, with a nett net of Rs 1.25 to Rs 1.5 lakh per acre aft accounting for expenses which included seed, feed, equipment’s and labour.

“Fish farming is acold much lucrative than cultivating wheat oregon paddy but it needs due attraction and monitoring of the ponds and fishes. With hard work, latest tools and much reseroces adjacent husbandman tin treble his income from food farming,” said he, adding that my yearly net from food farming present transcend Rs 38 to Rs 40 lakh from this onshore which was erstwhile turned discarded for maine and it tin beryllium enhanced manifold with the authorities support.

The authorities provides subsidies for digging ponds, which is simply a one-time outgo but for occasional repairs. The husbandman credits the officials from Fishery section Punjab for their guidance connected method aspects and subsidy programs. However, helium emphasized the request for greater authorities enactment to unlock the sector’s afloat potential.

During a government-organized sojourn to China, helium witnessed precocious food farming techniques, including automated instrumentality for provender organisation and oxygen supply, which resulted successful yields of up to 8-10 tonnes per acre—significantly higher than Punjab’s existent mean of 2.5 to 3 tonnes.

“If the authorities supports farmers by subsidizing modern instrumentality and providing amended pond factual lining systems, accumulation could summation manifold, encouraging adjacent tiny farmers to follow food farming for its precocious returns,” helium said.

“The modern exertion and authorities initiatives tin revolutionize the sector. Fish farming is an untapped goldmine successful Punjab. Even tiny farmers with conscionable 1 acre tin gain important profits if fixed the close tools and training,” helium said, adding that determination is nary occupation successful its selling arsenic buyers themselves travel to his food workplace to drawback the fishes and transport from here.

He urges authorities to absorption connected instrumentality subsidies, method training, and selling enactment to boost food yields and profitability crossed the state.

In summation to food farming, the husbandman continues to turn wheat, paddy, and agroforestry connected the remaining 45 acres of household land. Notably, the nutrient-rich h2o from his food ponds is recycled for harvest irrigation, enhancing ungraded fertility and reducing the request for chemic fertilizers.

Farming runs successful the farmer’s veins. His grandfather, Dr. Ganda Singh Cheema, a erstwhile manager of horticulture successful undivided Gujarat aft Partition, instilled a heavy transportation to the land. After migrating to Punjab during Partition, his household received 100 acres of land, which they person cultivated ever since.

“My woman has been a pillar of enactment successful this journey. Together, we’ve ensured that our onshore remains productive contempt the challenges,” helium remarked.

By embracing food farming, helium has not lone flooded the challenges of waterlogging but besides created a sustainable and profitable cultivation exemplary that inspires farmers crossed the region, said Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Deputy Director
Punjab Fishery Department Hoshiarpur, said that it is simply a currency harvest farming and authorities provides respective subsidies connected it.

“Under Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampda Yojana (PMMSY) determination are respective schemes to enactment this farming and farmers tin gain precise good adjacent from tiny onshore holdings,” added he. Interestingly according to a study by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the world’s colonisation is owed to scope 9.7 cardinal by 2050 and sustainable approaches to feeding the other mouths are important and the sportfishing assemblage volition play a captious relation successful it.