Aquaculture Task Force Launched in Kochi

INDIA - The Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), attached to the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), has launched an Aqua Task Force to help boost fish culture, especially cage culture, in Kochi.

The task force, comprising young people trained under the guidance of the CMFRI and KVK, was launched at a function organised on Pizhala Island as part of the World Fisheries Day observance.

A seminar on cage aquaculture was also organised as part of the day’s programmes. The Aqua Task Force, named Kadamakudy Matsya Karma Sena, has been built on the lines of the ‘Green Army’ under the aegis of the Department of Agriculture. The ‘Green Army’ comprises men and women trained in agricultural practices and take up farming on the basis of the assignments they are allotted.

A KVK official said that the young people underwent field training for a year with CMFRI-KVK scientists.

They are able to help people set up cage culture farms or aquaculture farms. The team is capable of making project reports and complete formalities for getting bank loans for any aquaculture ventures.

“They are also trained in cage fabrication, choosing of seeds and feed and maintenance of the aquaculture farms,” said the official. The task force will take up works for individuals and groups on the basis of payment for their services.