Union Fisheries Minister sanctions Rs 100 Cr Integrated Aqua Park for Anantnag

Srinagar, Mar 14: Union Minister Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (FAH&D) and Panchayati Raj, Rajiv Ranjan Singh on Saturday announced the sanction of a Rs 100 crore Integrated Aqua Park Project to be established in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

Addressing the national conference on Cold Water Fisheries organised by Department of Fisheries, Government of India, at the Sher‑e‑Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC), Srinagar, Singh said that the Integrated Aqua Park Project to be established in Anantnag would strengthen aquaculture infrastructure, boost cold-water fisheries development, increase fish production, and create employment opportunities in the region.

The union minister emphasised the need to scale trout production and strengthen the incomes of cold‑water fish farmers by enhancing productivity, improving value addition, and tapping into export markets where these species hold strong demand.

He emphasised the government’s focus on promoting end‑to‑end value‑chain development to ensure that cold‑water regions can efficiently produce, process and market trout and other species with improved access to modern infrastructure and stronger market linkages.

Singh urged organisation of fish farmers through cooperatives and FFPOs and encouraged states and union territories to support farmers in accessing schemes, infrastructure, and credit.

He said that the Rs 100‑crore Aqua Park sanctioned in Anantnag and the availability of FIDF funding would enable local enterprises to scale.

The union minister also released the ‘Model Guidelines for the Development of Cold‑Water Fisheries’.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, in his address, highlighted that the sanction of the Integrated Aqua Park in J&K would serve as a major catalyst for the region’s growth.

He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, fish farmers and sectoral stakeholders were being empowered through dedicated welfare schemes, leading to accelerated growth, and technological advancement.

Emphasising that the Himalayan region is the natural hub of India’s cold‑water fisheries, LG Sinha underlined the progress through systematic interventions in broodstock development, hatcheries, feed mills, and RAS units.

He underlined that improving market linkages and enhancing fish farmers’ incomes must remain central to future strategies and reaffirmed that with the support of the Government of India, Jammu and Kashmir would continue to move decisively toward sustainable and inclusive growth in cold‑water fisheries.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, in his address, underscored the importance of sustainably harnessing Jammu and Kashmir’s rich cold‑water resources and noted the need to adopt technologies and scientific practices that allow cold‑water aquaculture to expand without ecological compromise.

He emphasised the need for continuous innovation, closer collaboration with academic institutions and adoption of best practices from regions such as the NER to strengthen productivity and resilience.

CM Omar said that with modern technologies, cold‑water fisheries could be developed across diverse parts of J&K, offering new livelihood opportunities.

The union minister along with LG Sinha and CM Omar jointly released the ‘Model Guidelines for Reservoir Fisheries and Aquaculture Management’.

The guidelines provide a comprehensive framework covering scientific seed stocking, cage‑and pen‑based aquaculture, leasing and governance mechanisms, biodiversity conservation, value‑chain linkages and monitoring systems.

Minister of State, FAH&D and Panchayati Raj,

GoI, S P Singh Baghel, in his address, underlined the vast potential of India’s cold‑water fisheries.

He thanked PM Modi for establishing a dedicated ministry noting that this focused attention had enabled targeted interventions and visible growth across the sector. Highlighting the government’s sustained investments over the past decade, Baghel said that the Rs 100‑crore Aqua Park in J&K would serve as a hub for innovation, training, processing, and aggregation.

He emphasised the critical role of the fisheries sector in employment generation and community development, particularly in remote and high‑altitude regions.

Minister for Agriculture Production, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Cooperative and Election Departments, J&K, Javid Ahmad Dar in his address said that J&K contributes nearly 90 percent of India’s trout production with regions like Ganderbal and Anantnag renowned for their production.

Highlighting the initiatives taken by the J&K government, he referred to the expansion and modernisation of hatcheries, strengthened post‑harvest management, all of which had elevated the sector into a technology‑driven source of employment.

Union Secretary, Department of Fisheries,

Abhilaksh Likhi, highlighted the significance of cold‑water fisheries in preserving India’s rich indigenous germplasm, with more than 278 species contributing to national production, eco‑tourism, and niche market potential.

He underscored that targeted interventions had enabled scientific stocking, climate‑suitable culture practices, improved cold‑chain connectivity, and direct market linkages for start‑ups, women‑led groups, and FFPOs.

Likhi said that nationally 34 clusters, including those in J&K, Ladakh, and Uttarakhand, had been notified to promote integrated and region‑specific development.

He commended the exhibition showcasing value‑added products and appreciated the highly interactive deliberations during the technical sessions, which would guide states in implementing sustainable and climate‑resilient cold‑water fisheries development.

Joint Secretary, Department of Fisheries, Sagar Mehra, in his address said that investments of Rs 230 crore in the segment had significantly improved value‑chain efficiency and productivity.

Emphasising improvements required across the entire value chain from pre‑production to production, post‑harvest, and integrated development, he proposed the need to ensure altitude‑aligned seed availability through a seamless network of brood banks, hatcheries, and grow‑out farms supported by modern logistics such as drones.

Mehra stressed the need to scale advanced production systems such as RAS, raceways and cage culture, deploy IoT‑enabled monitoring, strengthen genetic improvement and feed ecosystems, modernise post‑harvest and cold‑chain systems for premium products, and operationalise clusters.

Union Minister Singh, LG Sinha, and CM Omar presented the awards to best fisheries cooperative societies, progressive fish farmers, KCC beneficiaries, fisheries start‑ups, and other scheme benefits to stakeholders across J&K.

Best fisheries cooperative society category awards were presented to Jehlum Fisherman Cooperative Ltd, Mahrajpora Sopore, Baramulla, Affarwat Trout Fish Farmers Cooperative Ltd, Tangmarg, Baramulla, and Bandi Trout Fish Cooperative Limited, Kupwara, were honoured for their leadership in collective fish farming and value‑chain strengthening.

In the category of progressive cold‑water fish farmers, Shakeel Mohd Teeli of Anantnag, Mehjoor Sultan Mir of Kupwara, Umer Akbar Dar of Pulwama, Zaid-ul-Ahad of Srinagar, and Sara Bano of Srinagar were honoured for for their contributions to sustainable trout farming.

In the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) category, Nusrat Jan, wife of Shabir Ahmad Ganie of Trout Raceway, Srinagar, Abdul Rashid Ganie, son of late Gul Ganie of Trout Raceway, Srinagar, Abdul Rashid Ganie, son of Habibullah Ganie of Trout Raceway, Srinagar, Bilal Ahmad Malik, son of Ali Muhammad Malik of Net and Boat, Srinagar, and Asif Ahmad Malik, son of Hafizullah Malik if Net and Boat, Srinagar, were honoured for adopting scientific and credit‑enabled practices in aquaculture.

Further in Fisheries Start‑ups category, M/s Sheeshang Trouts, represented by Manzoor Ahmad Bhat of Live Fish Vending Centre, Anantnag), M/s Springvalley Feed Mill, represented by Gowhar Rasool Reshi of Feed Mill, Srinagar, M/s Fisheries Paradise, represented by Neha Atri of Carp Unit, Samba, M/s Rakesh Biofloc, represented by Rakesh Kumar of Biofloc Unit, Jammu, M/s Kashmir Trout of Cold Storage Unit, Srinagar, and M/s Raina Trout Farm, represented by Reyaz Ahmad Raina of Trout Unit, Ganderbal were honoured for demonstrating enterprise leadership in feed, farming, processing, and value addition.

In addition, Sara Bano of Srinagar received approval for the establishment of a new RAS unit under FIDF scheme.

Refrigerated vehicles were distributed among Arsalan Ali of Pulwama, Muzafar Ahmad Dar of Baramulla, Muhammad Iqbal Malik of Kulgam, Shakir Ahmad Mir of Shopian, and Umar Akbar Dar of Pulwama to enhance post‑harvest handling. Three‑wheeler vehicles were distributed among Farooq Ahmad Akhoon, Ghulam Nabi Kaloo of Budgam, Umar Farooq Dar of Baramulla, Irshad Ahmad Khuroo of Anantnag, and SMuddasir Ahmad Khanday of Kupwara to support last‑mile transport and local market access.

On the occasion, short film showcased the growth story and sustainable initiatives in the segment.

The conference witnessed participation of more than 10,000 attendees in hybrid mode, bringing together senior officials from the Department of Fisheries, GoI; Department of Fisheries, J&K; Ministry of Commerce and Industry; DPIIT; Ministry of Food Processing Industries; Department of Animal Husbandry; Ministry of Power, and other line ministries and departments.

The event also saw the presence of representatives from MPEDA, EIC, NFDB, NCDC, NABARD, senior scientists from ICAR institutions, faculty and students of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Science and Technology, Kashmir (SKUAST-K), fisheries cooperatives, progressive fish farmers, industry representatives, startups, and entrepreneurs engaged in the fisheries value chain.