The efforts of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) to popularise its cage fish farming technology has won recognition with a farmer associated with the institute bagging the prestigious “Thozhil Shreshta” award instituted by the Kerala Labour Department.

P M Dinil Prasad, 28, from Kannur, who won the award has been doing cage fish farming under CMFRI’s guidanceI. Lured by the prospects, he quit the job in the Indian Army and turned to cage aquaculture.

While the CMFRI introduced a ₹15-crore project funded by the National Fisheries Development Board to set up 500 cage farming units in Kerala in 2018, Dinil Prasad was the first to receive a unit and commenced the farming in Anjarakandi river in Kannur.

Prasad was bestowed with the ₹1 lakh award and a certificate for his achievement in a good harvest of pearl spot in less than three and half years. This was made possible under the guidance imparted by the Mariculture Division of CMFRI headed by Dr Imelda Joseph.

Pearl spot farming

Presently, Prasad undertakes farming of 7,000 pearl spots in seven cages of 4-metre and at least 150 kg of yield is expected from each cage.

Along with cage fish farming, he runs a seed production unit of pearl spot and mussel farming. In addition, he provides consultancy service, including cage fabrication, site selection, species identification, etc. to those interested. Around 75 cage culture units were launched in many parts of the Malabar region under Dinil’s consultancy.

Covid restrictions never dampened his spirit as he took to social media to market his harvested crops. “Social media helped me a lot during the lockdown to reach the targeted consumers and sell the fish at a good price”, he added.

CMFRI Director A Gopalakrishan said the cage fish farming helps raising domestic output in the water resources rich State and is hopeful of youth taking up this as their vocation

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW