Bissamcuttack: Biofloc fish farming which has set trends in the pisciculture industry is gaining traction among the women fish farmers under this block in Rayagada district, a report said.
The system requires a large water tank instead of a pond where fish can be grown with adequate oxygen supply through machines.
The move is part of an initiative by the state government to provide livelihood opportunities to women and make them self-reliant through Odisha Livelihood Mission (OLM). The move will help the women earn around `60,000 to `1 lakh through this method of fish farming.
The farming has been undertaken in Dhepaguda village under Sadar panchayat of Bissamcuttack block by involving over 40 women from several self-help groups (SHGs) like Maa Gayatri, Maa Santoshi, Maa Mangala and Maa Banjari. As part of this move, these women underwent training for the fish farming in the first phase.
After completion of their training, the women were sanctioned `5 lakh to undertake the fish farming. The women with the sanctioned money have installed eight large tanks of 15,000 litre capacity each to grow fish.
The tanks have been fitted with two fans and four biofloc machines for 24-hour oxygen supply to the tanks.
The fish will receive oxygen from the machines which will help them grow. As many as 3,000 fingerlings have been released in each tank. While shrimp can be harvested in 90 days, the harvest of fish will take five to six months, an official of OLM said.
The OLM officials have provided all the technical assistance and equipment to the farmers for the cultivation in the first year and are also looking after maintenance of the tanks.
The women will independently undertake the farming from next year. The rest of the women will be involved in the fish farming in subsequent phases.
Moreover, plans are afoot to train the women in shrimp farming with the new method in coming days, said Biswajit Swain, field officer of OLM.