Shri, Parshottam Rupala, Hon’ble Union minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying visited the Kakdwip research centre of ICAR-CIBA on 11th January 2024 and witnessed the ongoing research activities of the center. The minister was accompanied by delegates, Ms. Neetu Kumari Prasad, Joint secretary (Marine fisheries) and Dr. L. Narasimha Murthy, Chief Executive I/c & Senior Executive Director.
Dr. Debasis De, Head of Research Centre, welcomed the hon’ble union fisheries minister and other delegates. In a brief meeting, Dr. De presented brief overview of the research centre, infrastructure facilities, ongoing research activities and technologies developed etc. He also briefed the minister regarding the activities taken up by the centre for species diversification and ongoing breeding and captive maturation of regionally important candidate fish and shell fish species like Hilsa (Tenualosa Ilisha) Bengal bream (Acanthopagrus longispinnis), Knight goby (Stigmatogobius sadanundio), Tade mullet (Liza tade), Speckled shrimp (Penaeus monoceros), Orange mud crab (Scylla olivacea) etc. Hon’ble minister visited Fish & Shellfish Hatchery, Feed Mill, Fish waste Processing Unit and witnessed the activities being carried out and resources and facilities available at the centre. Technological innovations made in low-cost feed production and various aquaculture feed developed at the centre, recycling of the fish waste and development of value-added product CIBA-Plankton plus & CIBA-Horti Plus were showcased during the visit.
In his remarks, hon’ble minister emphasized the importance of scaling up of the technologies developed by the center and also recommended the need for popularization of the technological advancements made in the sector among the farming community. He also stressed that, the development of low-cost feeds for supporting the brackishwater aquaculture is the need of the hour and urged the researchers to focus on scaling up of the technologies developed. The Hon’ble minister appreciated the effort taken for development of cost effective feed and value added products (Plankton Plus & Horti Plus) from fishwaste by ICAR-CIBA. He assured that DoF will provide all support for the farmer centric activities of the Centre.
