Vet varsity to honour fish farmers during week-long celebration
A week-long celebration from July 7 is being held at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU) to mark National Fish Farmers Day (NFFD). The day is celebrated every year in India to commemorate the successful captive induced breeding of fish on July 10, 1957, by two scientists—Dr Hiralal Chaudhury and Dr HK Alikunhi. This development revolutionised aquaculture, leading to the Blue Revolution in India.
Dr Meera D Ansal, Dean, College of Fisheries(CoF), GADVASU, said today fisheries was the fastest growing sector, which could have not been possible without the fish farmers who up-scaled the traditional aquaculture activity into a highly remunerative industry through their committed efforts and innovative approach. July 10 was announced as NFFD in 2001 to recognise contributions of farmers in making fisheries the sunrise sector of the nation. The CoF is going to commemorate the key role of fish farmers in the agriculture sector through a week-long celebration from July 7 to 11. Dr Meera added that the celebrations would include visits to fish farms, felicitation of farmers, interactive sessions and campaigns to promote
consumption of fish and fishery products among the regional people. A robust domestic market is essentially required to complement the regional fish value chain, which is well known for its nutritional benefits and role in food security, she added.
Dr JPS Gill, Vice-Chancellor, applauded the spirited fish farmers for their outstanding contribution to global food security. About 20 per cent of the per capita animal protein supply to 3.2 billion people globally comes from aquatic food and the upcoming NFFD celebrations aim to appreciate the fishers by recognising their contribution to the food bowl of the country, he added.
Punjab offers prospective scope for developing aquaculture in freshwater and inland saline areas, said Dr RS Grewal, Director of Extension Education. Assorted aquaculture technologies, suitable for water sufficient/deficient areas and degraded lands, are being demonstrated at the university for a farm-level replication after thorough testing and validation, he added.
Ludhiana