Ambikapur: Gangadhar, a student of fisheries science, became a millionaire through fish farming

Gangadhar Pankra, a fish farmer from Karabel village of Mainpat development block of Surguja district, says that fish farming is a very profitable business. First I learned the nuances of this work and then started working, I am happy that I once lived in poverty, now I am able to give employment to others as well. Gangadhar of Karabel, who has earned a profit of about 10 lakhs in just nine months, has also given employment to many other people. Gangadhar is doing fish farming with the villagers around by setting up 18 cages in Kunwarpur reservoir of Lakhanpur development block.

Gangadhar has been a student of Bachelors of Fisheries Science from Fisheries College, Kawardha. He says that I also wanted to do post graduation in fisheries, but the financial condition of the family was not so good that I could study further. After completing my studies in the year 2018, I thought of making a career in this field. But before that it was necessary to understand its nuances in the field as well. I then started working in some fisheries firms. Working in fish farms gave us experience but the money was less. We are 4 brothers, somehow my father educated all of us by doing farming and giving priority to education. In a normal farmer’s family, the need for money always remains.

In the year 2023, Gangadhar decided to start his own work and contacted the fisheries department. He applied for fisheries by setting up 18 cages in Kunwarpur reservoir of Lakhanpur, where the department approved 60 percent i.e. about 32 lakh grant amount under Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana and installed the cages by spending beneficiary contribution and collected about 40000 fish seeds at the rate of 2200 pieces per cage. He tells that till now about 35 tonnes of fish worth Rs 33.44 lakh has been sold, after the production of fish, it was sold in the wholesale market in cities like Renukoot (Uttar Pradesh), Banaras (Uttar Pradesh), Ambikapur, and Bilaspur etc. Due to which he got a profit of about 10 lakh rupees in just about 9 months. He tells that the cost incurred from his side was also recovered and along with that there was a huge profit. The business of fish production and sale has brought about a big change in their standard of living and today they have been able to provide employment to 8-10 people in the cage along with themselves. The farmer-friendly schemes of the government have drawn the attention of educated youth towards agriculture and other agriculture-related activities. The youth are moving towards prosperity and earning huge profits by doing work like agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, fish farming.