Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh today transferred Rs. 15,000 each to the bank accounts of 900 fish farmers of 10 hill districts totalling Rs. 1.80 crore. The assistance was provided under Paddy cum Pisciculture scheme under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana – Remunerative Approaches for Agriculture and Allied Sectors Rejuvenation (RKVY-RAFTAAR) for the year 2019-2020. A solemn function to mark the occasion was organised by the Directorate of Fisheries at the Durbar Hall of Chief Minister’s Secretariat.

Speaking at the occasion, the Chief Minister Biren said that Manipur requires 52,000 MT of fish every year. However, Manipur could produce only 27,000 MT till the coming of the new Government thereby requiring around Rs. 400 crore to import the remaining quantity of fish from other States every year, the Chief Minister informed.

As such, the Government started focusing on enhancement of fish production, he said and added that apart from commissioning of a fish-feed production unit, the State Government has arranged loans ranging from Rs. 2 lakh to Rs. 7 lakh for hundreds of fish farmers. As a result, State’s current fish production per year has increased to 32,600 MT per year, the Chief Minister said.

The Chief Minister said that the State Government sent a proposal of Rs. 14 crore to implement Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana to the Centre out of which Rs. 7.04 crore has already been sanctioned.

Moreover, the State Government is planning to submit an ambitious project worth Rs. 400 crore in consultation with the Central Agricultural University, N. Biren Singh informed. In the meantime, cage culture under Loktak Livelihood Mission and fish production through Biofloc system are also going on in full swing. The Government is ready to provide assistance through bank loans, Manipur StartUp and StandUp schemes to accomplish the objective of making self-sufficient in fish production, the Chief Minister said.

In his speech, Fisheries Minister S. Rajen said that the State Government has been trying its best to maintain accountability and provide good governance to the people. It was a part of this effort that monetary assistance was disbursed through DBT, the Minister said. He also exhorted the people to extend cooperation to the Government in making Manipur a self-reliant State.

The main objective of implementing Paddy cum Pisciculture is to double the farmers’ income from the same field through fish rearing, development of these paddy fields by raising peripheral rings and constructing feeding channel across the paddy field with small marketing ponds for paddy cum pisciculture. It is also to encourage and inculcate the interest of farmers to fish culture.

The present scheme is to develop 450 hectare of paddy field in 5 hills districts of Manipur with the total Government subsidy at the rate of 25% to the total unit cost of Rs. 1.60 lakh per hectare. The Government has released a sum of Rs. 1.80 crore with a sharing pattern at 90:10 between Centre and State. And each beneficiary having an area of 0.5 hectare will get a subsidy amount of Rs. 20,000 which will be given in two parts. Rs. 15000 will be transferred through PFMS and the rest Rs. 5000 will be given in the form of fish seed.

Additional Chief Secretary (Fishery) M.H. Khan, Director (Fishery) N. Gojendro Singh and bank officials also attended the function.