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'Govt to provide

facilities for

fish farming'

SARGODHA: The provincial government will provide every possible facility to promote fish farming in the Punjab, said Minister for Fisheries Sheikh Hakim Ali on Sunday.

He was presiding over a high-level meeting which was attended by Director-General Punjab Dr Mohammad Sharif Bhutta, Director (Fisheries) Nazir Bhatti and Project Director (Fisheries) Aquil Shah.

The Minister said that a number of incentives and facilities have been offered by the government to the farming community for setting up fish farms. He urged the officials to persuade the farmers to utilise the barren, uncultivable land for fish farming.

He advised them to undertake complete survey of the areas under their respective jurisdiction and where fish farming is feasible the farmer should be offered guidance, technical aid, and departmental facilities. He said popularity of aquaculture would help the nation in gaining cheap protein food besides economic prosperity of farmers.

The Minister announced that for the promotion of fish farming the farmers would be provided facility of agricultural loan, exemption from income tax etc.

The Minister also inspected fish seed nursery unit near Shahpur Sadar and performed the opening ceremony of newly completed project.

He said that 15 more nurseries would be established in various parts of the province. He said at Farooqabad in Sheikhupura district a fish seed nursery is being set up with the financial assistance of the Asian Development Bank. He said the Farooqabad fish seed centre will be exclusively reserved for the Chinese fish breed known the world over for its high productivity.

The Fisheries Minister further disclosed that experts of aquaculture engaged in the Fisheries Research and Training Institute at Manawan in Lahore have discovered a new variety of fish which has the quality of fast productivity.

Earlier, the meeting considered ways and means for increasing the income of fishermen.-APP