PRESENT STATUS AND FUTURE PROSPECTS OF AQUACULTURE IN PUNJAB, INDIA: A STEP TOWARDS BLUE REVOLUTION
Abstract
Aquaculture in Punjab is a fast emerging income-generating activity, providing quality and low-cost protein diets to the people. Although fish production of Punjab is relatively less (1.51 lakh tonnes in 2019-20) compared to several other states, the state always topped the country in fish productivity (around 6.5-6.6 ton/hectare), which is more than double the national average of 3 ton/hectare. The water resources of Punjab, rivers (868 Km), manmade canal system (12,200 Km), ponds (16,730 ha), reservoirs (3,525 ha) and inland saline areas (85,000 ha) has immense scope for enhancing fish production. The farmers of Punjab are business-minded and ready to invest in aquaculture. Training and technical guidance for scientific aquaculture is a necessity to develop this field. The introduction of modern aquaculture technologies and diversification with high-value species will boost the sector in Punjab. Installation of hatcheries for different fish species and feed plants is need of the hour to reduce the input cost. The State has the potential not only to attain self-sufficiency in fish production but can also supply surplus to the neighbouring states. The present paper provides the present status and the prospects of fisheries in the state along with strategies for improvement and development. Key words Aquaculture, Punjab, fish farming, Inland saline aquaculture, status of aquaculture in Punjab, water resources of Punjab