Rs 100-Crore Aqua Park Announced as National Cold-Water Fisheries Conference Opens in Kashmir | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh on Saturday announced the establishment of a Rs 100-crore Integrated Aquaculture Park at Kokernag in south Kashmir as the National Conference on Cold Water Fisheries began in Srinagar, bringing together policymakers, scientists and industry stakeholders to discuss strategies for expanding the sector in Himalayan regions.

The conference, organised by the Department of Fisheries under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre, was attended by Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Union Minister of State for Fisheries SP Singh Baghel, besides officials, experts and stakeholders from several states and Union Territories.

Announcing the project, Singh said the Integrated Aquaculture Park to be developed at Kokernag in Anantnag district would support the entire trout production cycle, including broodstock management, hatcheries, processing and marketing infrastructure.

The Union Minister said India’s fisheries sector has demonstrated resilience despite global trade challenges, noting that fish exports grew by about 20 per cent in volume and 13 per cent in value in 2025 compared with the previous year.

“When the United States imposed tariffs, there were concerns that shrimp exports would be severely affected because nearly 75 to 80 per cent of our shrimp shipments go to that market. However, despite these challenges, India’s fish exports have continued to grow,” Singh said, adding that the government had worked with exporters to diversify markets and strengthen value addition.

Singh said Srinagar was deliberately chosen as the venue for the conference because of Jammu and Kashmir’s strong potential in cold-water fisheries.

“Species such as trout and mahseer have strong global demand and offer good export potential. Regions like Jammu and Kashmir can play a key role in expanding production,” he said.

Addressing the gathering, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said Jammu and Kashmir has the potential to emerge as a national model for integrated fisheries development.

“Jammu and Kashmir holds promise as a national model for integrated fisheries development. A value-chain approach can generate jobs, reduce post-harvest losses and increase fish farmers’ incomes,” he said.

Sinha said initiatives under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme, launched in 2022 with an allocation of Rs 233 crore for the fisheries sector, had strengthened entrepreneurship and infrastructure in trout farming and related activities.

He said trout production in the Union Territory had increased from 1,663 tonnes in 2021–22 to 2,650 tonnes in 2024–25.

The Lieutenant Governor said infrastructure had also expanded significantly, with private trout units rising from 936 to 1,649, hatcheries from one to nine, trout feed mills from none to six, recirculatory aquaculture system units from two to nine and biofloc units from 10 to 59.

Sinha also highlighted challenges facing the sector, including climate change, rising water temperatures, water scarcity and fish health risks, stressing the need for scientific research, improved breeds and climate-resilient aquaculture systems.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the fisheries sector must adopt improved scientific techniques, modern infrastructure and value addition to enhance production while ensuring sustainability.

Speaking at the conference, Abdullah said the government must support fishermen and aquaculture entrepreneurs who depend on the sector for their livelihoods.

“Our responsibility is to strengthen those who have taken up fisheries as their livelihood. We must help them increase production, improve infrastructure in remote areas and ensure better post-production facilities,” he said.

He said science and research would play a crucial role in the future growth of cold-water fisheries and emphasised the need to balance production with environmental protection.

The Chief Minister also referred to the growing impact of climate change, noting that unusual temperatures in Srinagar during February and early flowering of trees this year reflected changing weather patterns that could affect sectors such as fisheries.

Abdullah said Kashmir has more than a century of experience in trout farming since the species was introduced around 1900, and that this knowledge should be shared with other states while learning from innovations.

The conference brought together policymakers, researchers and stakeholders from Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and several northeastern states as well as southern states to explore collaborative pathways for strengthening cold-water fisheries and improving livelihoods in mountainous and remote regions.

During the event, model guidelines for the development of cold-water fisheries were released, and progressive fish farmers, fisheries start-ups and farmer-producer organisations were felicitated. Sanction letters were also distributed to beneficiaries under the Kisan Credit Card scheme and other programmes.

Among those present were Union Secretary for Fisheries Abhilaksh Likhi, Additional Chief Secretary Agriculture Production Department Ashish Chandra Verma, Agriculture Production and Rural Development Minister Javid Ahmad Dar and Vice Chancellor of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir Nazir Ahmad Ganai, among other officials and experts.