KOCHI, 01 March 2019 : In a major effort which is beneficial to hundreds of families in Kadamakkudy panchayat, the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has partnered with the Korampadam Service Co-operative Bank, Kothad to promote cage fish farming in the backwaters of the panchayat.

In a joint initiative aimed at helping the villagers become small-scale entrepreneurs through cage fish farming, the CMFRI and the Bank conducted a skill development programme to train them in practicing the less-expensive farming method.  

As many as 114 villagers attended the training that covered various stages of cage fish farming such as cage fabrication, site identification, species selection, feed management, harvest and marketing. Visits to cage farming sites and practical training were also included in the three-day programme.

In further step to promote the cage farming enterprises in the backwaters of the panchayat, the CMFRI will offer all the technical guidance to the villagers while the Bank will give them loan as initial capital to those starting the cage fish farming.

The CMFRI would extend technical support to the farmers on each phases of the cage farming to empower them becoming entrepreneurs in the field, said Dr A Gopalakrishnan, Director of CMFRI. “This will act as a source for additional income to the fishermen and it will help increase the domestic fish production as well”, he added. Species such as cobia, seabass, snappers, mullet and pearl spot will be used for cage farming.

The collaborative programme has been linked with CMFRI’s ongoing project launched last year aiming to train 5000 fishermen across the country in practicing cage fish farming with the financial assistance of the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB).

“The CMFRI has so far trained 2500 fishermen all over the country, and around 2500 cage fish farming units are currently operational across the coastal states under CMFRI’s technical guidance”, said Dr Imelda Joseph, Head of Mariculture division of CMFRI.

The CMFRI is also part of a joint initiative with the NFDB to set up 500 cage fish farming units in Kerala by providing technical as well as financial aids to the fish farmers.