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Fishpond sun to power Nitish’s electrification bid
It might sound incredible in the first place but the Bihar Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Department can play a significant role in the fulfillment of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar`s goal of electrifying all villages by 2015.
In his last Independence Day speech, Kumar had declared that he will not seek votes if all villages are not electrified by 2015. If everything works out as planned by the State Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Department, it can augment at least 70 MW to the State`s power kitty by June 2013.
Bihar Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Minister Giriraj Singh said in Patna on Tuesday that his department has installed solar powered pumps at four different ponds which have been dug in wetlands of the State reclaimed through the intervention of the department. He said that the fish farming will be performed in the ponds while electricity would be generated through solar panels.
Singh said that Nitish Kumar has given the technical approval of the project in principle and the State Government will enter into Power Purchase Agreement with two private companies next month.
The Minister said that four wetlands or chauras - Sarairanjan Chaura (110 acres) in Samastipur district, Gauriakothi Chaura (100 acres) in Siwan district, and Khulas Chaura (100 acres) in Siwan district have been reclaimed. In all, 20 MW of power will be generated at Sarairanjan Chaura while 25 MW each will be generated at Gauriakothi Chaura and Khulas Chaura.
Singh said that Bihar Government has also decided to set up a separate university for the study of Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Dairy. The university will be open for admission from the academic session of 2013-14. He said that a training institute under the proposed university, to be headquartered in Patna, will also be opened.
The State Legal Department and Agriculture Cabinet have already approved the proposal for setting up the university while the approval by the State Finance Department is being awaited. Singh said that Bihar consumes 5.50 lakh million tonnes of fish per year while the production of fish in the State is only 3.34 lakh million tones.
Singh said that a target of production of 9.50 lakh million tones of fish by 2017 gas been fixed but the department is certain that the fish production could reach up to 9 lakh million tones by 2014-15 itself.
Farmers would be trained at Mithapur Agriculture Farm so that they can acquire knowledge of latest fishing technology. Infrastructure will be strengthened at Fishery College in Dholi for advanced training. Fish farming is being done over 80,000 hectares of fresh water ponds while the rest fish cultivation is carried out at 9,000 hectares of ox-bow lakes and over 25000 hectares of reserviours.
The fish productivity has also risen significantly during the last seven years, jumping from 400 kg per hectare to 1,500 kg per hectare, still far below the national average of 2600 kg per hectare. The growth in the fishery sector was 19 per cent last year.
The Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Department is also giving extra emphasis on the cultivation of high yield Pengasius Catfish. The cultivation of the Pengasius Catfish will be carried out in 27districts, covering an area of 128.22 hectares. The Food Conversion Ratio of Pengasius is also quite encouraging, converting feed mass of 1.5 kg into increased body mass of 1 kg.
It might sound incredible in the first place but the Bihar Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Department can play a significant role in the fulfillment of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar`s goal of electrifying all villages by 2015.
In his last Independence Day speech, Kumar had declared that he will not seek votes if all villages are not electrified by 2015. If everything works out as planned by the State Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Department, it can augment at least 70 MW to the State`s power kitty by June 2013.
Bihar Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Minister Giriraj Singh said in Patna on Tuesday that his department has installed solar powered pumps at four different ponds which have been dug in wetlands of the State reclaimed through the intervention of the department. He said that the fish farming will be performed in the ponds while electricity would be generated through solar panels.
Singh said that Nitish Kumar has given the technical approval of the project in principle and the State Government will enter into Power Purchase Agreement with two private companies next month.
The Minister said that four wetlands or chauras - Sarairanjan Chaura (110 acres) in Samastipur district, Gauriakothi Chaura (100 acres) in Siwan district, and Khulas Chaura (100 acres) in Siwan district have been reclaimed. In all, 20 MW of power will be generated at Sarairanjan Chaura while 25 MW each will be generated at Gauriakothi Chaura and Khulas Chaura.
Singh said that Bihar Government has also decided to set up a separate university for the study of Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Dairy. The university will be open for admission from the academic session of 2013-14. He said that a training institute under the proposed university, to be headquartered in Patna, will also be opened.
The State Legal Department and Agriculture Cabinet have already approved the proposal for setting up the university while the approval by the State Finance Department is being awaited. Singh said that Bihar consumes 5.50 lakh million tonnes of fish per year while the production of fish in the State is only 3.34 lakh million tones.
Singh said that a target of production of 9.50 lakh million tones of fish by 2017 gas been fixed but the department is certain that the fish production could reach up to 9 lakh million tones by 2014-15 itself.
Farmers would be trained at Mithapur Agriculture Farm so that they can acquire knowledge of latest fishing technology. Infrastructure will be strengthened at Fishery College in Dholi for advanced training. Fish farming is being done over 80,000 hectares of fresh water ponds while the rest fish cultivation is carried out at 9,000 hectares of ox-bow lakes and over 25000 hectares of reserviours.
The fish productivity has also risen significantly during the last seven years, jumping from 400 kg per hectare to 1,500 kg per hectare, still far below the national average of 2600 kg per hectare. The growth in the fishery sector was 19 per cent last year.
The Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Department is also giving extra emphasis on the cultivation of high yield Pengasius Catfish. The cultivation of the Pengasius Catfish will be carried out in 27districts, covering an area of 128.22 hectares. The Food Conversion Ratio of Pengasius is also quite encouraging, converting feed mass of 1.5 kg into increased body mass of 1 kg.
