Srinagar, March 14
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today emphasized the need to adopt improved scientific techniques and develop modern infrastructure and value addition to enhance cold water fisheries production in Jammu and Kashmir while ensuring sustainability and livelihood security for fish farmers.
The Chief Minister was addressing a day-long National Conference on Cold Water Fisheries held at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC), Srinagar. The conference, described as a first-of-its-kind national dialogue on sustainabe harnessing the potential of India’s cold water fisheries for growth and prosperity, was organized by the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Government of India.
The event was held in Srinagar attended by Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Minister of State for Fisheries S. P. Singh Baghel and J&K Minister for Agriculture Production Javid Ahmad Dar, Secretary Fisheries Government of India Abhilaksh Likhi, Additional Chief Secretary Agriculture J&K Ashish Chandra among others.
Welcoming the Union Minister and other dignitaries to Srinagar, the Chief Minister thanked Government of India for choosing Jammu and Kashmir as the venue for such an important conference on development of cold water fisheries.
“I would like to warmly welcome the Union Minister and his colleagues and thank them for choosing Srinagar for this very important conference on how we can further increase the production of cold water fisheries,” the Chief Minister said.
Highlighting the importance of learning and innovation in the sector, Omar Abdullah said the conference had already provided new insights into emerging practices in fisheries.
“Till now we believed that cold water fisheries were limited to mountainous regions like Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the Northeast. We assumed that these areas alone had the advantage because of their geography. But today we learned something new,” he remarked.
Referring to innovative aquaculture practices in other parts of the country, the Chief Minister cited the example of a youth entrepreneur from Hyderabad producing trout through advanced techniques in tropical climate.
