CIFRI Awards
Fisheries training for skill improvement of the rural youth of Bihar state at ICAR-CIFRI
Bihar, predominantly an agrarian state, has significant fisheries resources due to its extensive network of rivers, lakes, ponds, and water bodies. Despite its potential, the fisheries sector in Bihar faces challenges such as inadequate infrastructure, limited access to credit and markets, climate change impacts, and lack of scientific knowledge and skills of the fishers and fish farmers. Capacity building of fish farmers is crucial for enhancing the productivity, profitability, and sustainability of fish production in Bihar. ICAR-CIFRI has conducted a seven days training programme on “Inland Fisheries Management” during 2-8 April, 24 for 43 fish farmers of Bihar State. A total of 31 farmers from Munger district and 12 farmers from Gopalganj district participated in the training programme.ICAR- Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute organized this seven-day capacity-building programme to develop skills in water quality management, nursery and rearing of pond culture, enclosure culture for
livelihood improvement, and induced breeding and hatchery management. The participants were taught various aspects of fish feed management and Fish disease management. A general overview of climate change and its impact on inland fisheries was covered during the training sessions. The fish farmers were also introduced to the Institute's Recirculatory Aquaculture System (RAS), ornamental hatchery units, and fish feed mill. Dr. B.K. Das, ICAR-CIFRI interacted with the farmers and encouraged them to develop their knowledge for securing a sustainable livelihood. He also urged the fishers to explore their available resources for optimum production and productivity by acquiring scientific knowledge and applications.
There were practical sessions on water and soil quality analysis, and fish feed preparation. The programme has been oriented to strengthen the practical skills of farmers for fish production enhancement in open waters including ponds and tanks and also through field exposure visits. The field trip was organized to visit Halisahar fish farm, East Kolkata wetland, ornamental fish market, and ICAR- CIFA, Kalyani Research Centre. The week-long programme was concluded on 11 December 2023 with certificate distribution to all the participants. The trainees expressed their high level of satisfaction with the capacity-building programme.The feedback from participants resonated with overall satisfaction and significant knowledge enhancement. In the valedictory session, Dr. B. K. Das encouraged farmers to apply their newfound expertise to enhance farm productivity and urged them to disseminate their knowledge within their communities, fostering sectoral growth.
