Guwahati: Jokapura Village near Gohpur City in North Assam has shown how a community can change the loss into a success story that develops even during Covid because of the vision of one entrepreneur.
From a 10-hectare fish pond in the middle of 30 sqkm waseland in 2015, Anup Sarmah, an entrepreneur, has changed fisheries into a project of 210 BIGHA (70 hectares).
He divided fisheries into 32 ponds and nurseries and involved 20 families by accelerating them and now they serve 20% of the fish consumption needs of the Gohpur sub-division, which has a population of around five lakh people.
So far this year, fisheries have produced 80 tons of live fish and expects 40 tons to March 2022.
To make Mandiri villagers, projects train 768 fish farmers and do more than 20 online training courses during a pandemic, which is attended by more than 1,000 farmers fish.
For Sarmah, MSc in Botany from the University of Gahati, resigned as a research partner from the Laboratory of the Regional Research Laboratory in Jorhat to show unemployment.
He received the best fish farmer award under the ‘Ne and Hill State’ category of Fisheries Minister Union, Purusottam Rupala, on the World Fisheries Day on Sunday.
The most valuable triple-asset assets that have been successfully made are fish seed banks covering 44 BIGHA with support from other than, the Government of Assam, a fish feed and live fish plant that can be marketed.
“Our fish seed bank has genetically enhanced fish seed varieties such as Jayanti Rohu, Amur Carp and increasing Catla which was initially purchased from the National Freshwater Broodbank, the National Fisheries Development Board located in Bhubaneswar,” he said.
Bakori Doloni Gram Panchayat, who accommodates fishing projects, cannot be accessed during the rainy season when floods damage the area.
Brahmaputra overflows and banks will be flooded.
Sarma said he used a state boat to reach the project location during such a period.
“Repeated floods have made this area not suitable for rice cultivation.
The whole land has turned into a swamp desert,” he added.
The entrepreneur then built a fisheries unit in the middle of the desert and raised the embankment of up to 14 feet with a width of 80 feet in the base to prevent flood water from entering the site.
“For the right balancing and embankment protection, we installed the Sluice gate, which regulates the water level in the pool,” Sarah said.