Two sisters of Kashmir have become examples by redefining opportunities for educated women. Both of them have presently ushered as pacesetters in rainbow trout farming in the Valley.
Sumaira is a Master’s in Urdu and her younger sister Aliya is a graduate in Arts. Both of them set up a trout fish farm in the Nambal area of Anantnag in 2020 on family land.
They were looking for work, but opportunities were less. They had abundant land and water, so they thought to utilize their resources. The Fisheries Department accorded them subsidies and guidance through Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMSSY). Presently, they are harvesting 20 quintals annually.
Since then, their farm has expanded to four raceways, spanning two Kanals of land and producing around 20 quintals of rainbow trout annually. Plans are already underway for another raceway and a feed mill to scale their operations. Their farm has created job opportunities for others and serves as a proof that self-employment can be empowering.
These sisters are now influencing and advising other educated yet unemployed women in the area – sitting at home and waiting for jobs – not to waste their time. Their endeavor is a motivator for the rest to utilize government schemes to start ventures and become independent.
Trout Fish Farming
The beginning of trout farming in Kashmir dates back to 1899 when the Duke of Bedford presented a bag containing 10,000 trout fish eggs to the Maharaja of Kashmir. Although these failed to survive, a second shipment received in 1900 laid the foundation for today’s thriving industry.
The Panzagam Dachigam (Harwan) waters initially acted as the first breeding grounds for trout while early efforts spearheaded by the owner of a carpet factory in Srinagar, developed into a huge industry, making Kashmir India’s largest producer of trout fish.
Today, trout fish farming in Kashmir is an energetic industry. More than 500 privately owned trout farms are functioning across the region with state-run hatcheries.
In 2023, the production of trout reached 1,990 metric ton, considering a huge jump made through Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMSSY), under which a farmer gets up to 60 per cent financial support.
Anantnag crowned the ‘Trout District of India’ in 2018, is home to Asia’s largest trout farm in Kokernag. Established in 1995 with European Economic Community assistance, the farm now supplies trout eggs and fingerlings to markets across India and Europe.
The rainbow trout, prized for its adaptability and taste dominates the landscape of trout farming in Kashmir while the brown trout is an angler’s dream. Both the fish with their tender bones, fine scales and non-spongy nature have taken over the markets. These fetch an aristocratic price of Rs 500 to Rs 700 per kilogram locally. Plans are being developed to export trout and its by-products and earn good money in international markets.
The conditions for trout breeding are ideal in Kashmir’s glacial-fed streams and oxygen-rich waters. Streams such as Lidder, Sindh and Dachigam not only accommodate commercial trout farming, but also comprise beats to support sustainable practices. Streams are strategically divided by the Fisheries Department into trout beats to support sustainable practices. The state has 59 rearing units and hatcheries to meet the growing demand.
Dubbed the ‘Angler’s Paradise,’ Kashmir attracts anglers from all over the world. This excitement of casting a hook in the Valley’s beautiful streams contrasts with the economic impact of trout rearing on livelihoods, where it contributes to generating ripples of economic growth in rural areas as a source of employment and helping self-growing farmers achieve empowerment.
Educationist/Administrator/Editor/Author/Speaker
Commencing teaching in his early twenties, Prof Aggarwal has diverse experience of great tenure in the top institutions not only as an educationist, administrator, editor, author but also promoting youth and its achievements through the nicest possible content framing. A revolutionary to the core, he is also keen to address the society around him for its betterment and growth on positive notes while imbibing the true team spirit the work force along with.
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