Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government has introduced a new scheme for promoting intensive aquaculture through Biofloc technology in fisheries to boost employment amid COVID-19 pandemic.
Informing about it, State Fisheries and Animal Resources Minister Arun Kumar Sahoo said that the scheme will provide livelihood support to entrepreneurs, unemployed youth and interested progressive fish farmers and will also increase fish production in the state.
The scheme is most suitable for youths who face unemployment during the pandemic, he added.
Biofloc based farming system is a new technology for the promotion of intensive fish/ shrimp production in a limited area without significantly increasing the usage of the basic natural resources of water and land.
Bio-floc system is suitable for growing freshwater fish species such as GIFT Tilapia, Magur, Pangasius, Anabas, Common Carp etc depending on local market demands.
In Biofloc technology, the waste organic matter in the tank such as feed waste, are digested using probiotics (helpful bacteria) and carbon source such as molasses and gets converted to fish feed
A person having small landholding (as small as 150-200 square metre of land) and having either municipal piped water supply or bore well water supply can establish this business with a small investment.
In normal pond based farming system, one acre of earthen tank (4000 square meter area) produces about 2,000 kg of fish in 6 months; while in bioflocfish farming system, the 2 same 2000 kg fish can be produced only from 4 small tanks of each 4 meter diameter and 1.2 meter depth installed in a floor area of about 100-150 square meter.
Each bio-floc tank is stocked with about 1000-1500 numbers of quality fish fry (2-3 cm) or fingerlings (8-10 cm) with a target of 500 kg fish production over 6 months period. Fish grows to about 200 grams within 3 months and 700-800 grams within 6 months. Therefore, depending on the local market demand, fish can be partially harvested on daily basis to generate daily income for farmers.
The unit cost for installation of a Bio-floc unit of 2 tanks is Rs 1.50 lakh, while a biflock unit of 6 tanks costs approximately Rs 4 lakh.
The State Government provides a subsidy of 40 per cent subsidy while 60 per cent subsidy is provided to SC and ST beneficiaries.
This programme aims to support fish farmers and young entrepreneurs for generation of income and livelihood support, the Minister added.