Shillong, Jan 17: The state government has taken steps to promote large-scale fish farming in order to bridge the gap between its demand and production in the state, said chief minister Conrad K Sangma.
While Meghalaya produces 20,000 MT fish per year, annual consumption of fish in the state ranges from 28,000 to 30,000 MT.
“We are promoting farmers to farm more fish and have different support structures and schemes,” he added.
The Chief Minister highlighted the government’s efforts to encourage private entrepreneurs to set up large-scale commercial fish farms.
“We are promoting them to do this on a large scale… Most of our fish farmers are small-scale, so we require 20, 30, 50 large players to come in and have a very large commercial setup.”
Sangma expressed hope that the state’s fish production would soon reach self-sufficiency, generate livelihoods, and enable exports to neighbouring states.
“Once we cross the 30,000-32,000 mark in terms of production, we will be able to export it or send it to our neighbouring states.”
The government is also ensuring fish quality and safety through random checks by food safety officials.
“We are taking action wherever we find any kind of abnormal numbers or figures coming out in terms of any chemical or unhealthy elements,” Sangma said.
