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Ornamental fish farming empowers SC women in Barabanki village
Indian Council for Agriculture Research – National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (ICAR – NBFGR) organised a workshop on rearing of ornamental fish in February this year as part of mission Navshakti of the institution, where five pairs of Molly and Guppy fish along with an aquarium were provided to 50 Scheduled Caste women of Dhankutti village.They were also informed about how to maintain and breed the fish.
Lucknow: When 50 Scheduled Caste women from Dhankutti village of Barabanki attended a workshop organized by Indian Council for Agriculture Research – National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (ICAR – NBFGR) on rearing of ornamental fish, little did they know that the lesson would soon help them start a business.
A few days back, two of them, Seema and Usha, sold 500 fish, setting an example to the group and needless to state, they were all smiles after earning their first income from the venture.
The workshop was organized in February this year as part of mission Navshakti of the institution, where five pairs of Molly and Guppy fish along with an aquarium were provided to each woman . They were also informed about how to maintain and breed the fish.
All of them were also connected with an expert on a WhatsApp group where they got answers to their queries and problems that they encountered .
Usha Rawat (40), who was among the first two sellers, said that she had never thought she would be able to earn money through rearing fish.
“I raise the fish like my children. I go to see them as soon as I get up in the morning and I begin my day only after feeding them . I was overjoyed to get my first income. My journey has inspired many women residing in the village and nearby to begin the breeding of fish,” said Rawat.
Padma Devi (35), another woman in the group, said that she got a tank constructed in her house to breed fish.
“Not just me but also my children feel happy to watch the fish swim in the tank . I feel glad that even my children get inspired from me when it comes to breeding fish,” she said .
Their trainer and aquarist Indramani Raja said that Kerala, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu were prominent producers of ornamental fish.
“In UP, over 300-400 crore of ornamental fish are purchased every year from the three leading states. If we empower women in the state to begin their businesses by imparting training and supporting them from time to time, it can help in establishing the state as one of the fish breeding centres,” said Raja.
The nodal officer of the project Poonam Jayant Singh said that they were trying to work on a hub and spoke model and trying to make more people self-sustaining.
