The North News
Chandigarh, February 12
Punjab’s fisheries sector has seen significant growth with government-run fish seed farms producing over 14 crore high-quality fish seed annually, Fisheries Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian said on Wednesday. The state has 16 government fish seed farms, 11 fish feed mills, and seven laboratories supporting fish farmers. Fish seed production reached 14.74 crore by December 2024, up from 13.90 crore in 2023. Punjab has 43,973 acres under fish farming, yielding 1.81 lakh tonnes of fish from natural waters, private farms, and panchayati ponds.
Khudian said the government has provided ₹27 crore in financial assistance to over 500 beneficiaries for projects including shrimp farming, Recirculatory Aquaculture Systems (RAS), biofloc culture, and fish feed mills. Farmers receive subsidies covering 40-60% of unit costs, and monthly training sessions on fish and shrimp farming are conducted free of charge.
To advance Punjab’s ‘blue revolution,’ modern aquaculture techniques are being implemented, with new infrastructure including a government fish seed farm in Fazilka’s Killian Wali village and a retail fish market in Patiala’s Ghalauri village.
Encouraging farmers to explore fisheries, Khudian noted that six Punjab fish and shrimp farmers were honored by the Government of India’s Fisheries Department at the 76th Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi.
