mangalore today

Potential of Ornamental fish business must be considered


Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Sep 22, 2014:  The three-day training on ‘Ornamental fish production and marketing’, jointly organised by the College of Fisheries, Mangalore and the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), Kochi has begun at the college campus here recently.


Fisherishaday


Inaugurating the programme, Corporation Bank General Manager Lakshminatha Reddy said ornamental fish business is an untapped area which has got tremendous potential. “The sector is worth six billion dollar business globally and of that, India’s contribution is less than a per cent. By harnessing the rich resources and technical knowledge available in the state, people can supplement their income,” he urged. Countries like Singapore, Czech Republic are the big players in the field.

Reddy lamented that in India, there is less academic-industries relation which takes a toll on the job prospects of students once they complete the course. Students are confined to the academics thus often blinded towards things happening around. Head of Department of Aquaculture at Fisheries College, Prof H Shivananda Murthy said of the Rs 20,000 crore worth fish exported from the country, a meagre of Rs 300 crore is the contribution of ornamental fish business. Off late Kolkata, Chennai and Kochi are making some advancements in this hitherto unknown area. Pursuing ornamental fish business is an excellent opportunity for unemployed rural youth, school dropouts and importantly for, women.There is a lot of scope for SHGs to involve in ornamental fish production.

MPEDA Assistant Director Sudhir K Patra, Programme coordinator Prof Shivakumar Magada spoke. As many as 30 participants from Mysore, Shimoga, Uttara Kannada and Manglore are taking part in the training programme.