ANANTNAG: Anantnag district has got the first trout fish farmers FPO registered under a project funded by NABARD.
The said FPO has been incorporated by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Govt of India as farmer Producer Company under the name ‘Glacial Trout FPO’ and is being implemented by an NGO, Human Welfare Foundation under the guidance of Department of Fisheries, Govt of J&K.
DDM NABARD, Rouf Zargar stated that this was the first FPO in J&K to have been registered in the fisheries sector under the Companies Act. This is a pilot project to promote trout fish in the Dachnipora cluster of Anantnag and the registration of FPO was a major achievement, he added.
With more than 100 fish farmers as members of FPO, there are 10 farmers enrolled as board of directors in the FPO, DDM NABARD said adding that one more FPO is being proposed to be formed in Anantnag district to cover the fish farmers of Khoveripora Cluster.
Deputy Director Fisheries, Siddiq Wani said that Govt of India has been laying more focus on formation of FPOs in all allied sectors of agriculture and special focus has been given to the fisheries sector.
He said many schemes have been launched by the government for development of aquaculture under cluster approach to bring the blue revolution and every scheme focuses on FPO formation.
Trout fish has been identified as a product under the scheme “the one district one product” in Anantnag district, he stated adding that FPOs can mitigate the problems of farmers with regard to production and post production sale and marketing.