The hatchery can produce 100 million fingerlings at a time
When the bully is the boss
BIRGUNJ, Oct 25: A hatchery with capacity of producing 100 million fingerlings at a time is coming up in Parsa district. Laxman Sahani of Madhuban Mathawal VDC has borrowed Rs 7.5 million to invest in the hatchery.
“This is the first modern hatchery in the region. It will start producing fingerlings from March next year,” Sahani said, adding that he expects to repay the loans within three years. “I made big investment in hatchery after seeing commercial fishery flourishing in different Tarai districts.”
Sahani is involved in commercial fish farming for the past seven years. He has been sending live fishes to markets in the Kathmandu Valley for the past two years.
“It was very difficult to get fingerlings from the domestic market. Local farmers have to import fingerlings from India,” Sahani said, adding, “I decided to open a hatchery so that local farmers do not have to face difficulty in getting fingerlings.”
Sahani said a kilogram of fingerlings fetches Rs 1,000.
According to District Agriculture Office, Parsa, the district is producing 1,900 ton of fish annually. Fish farming is done in 300 hectare. There are 1,200 big and small ponds in Parsa. Around 25 percent of fish produced in Parsa and sent to Kathmandu and other districts.
Pramod Yadav, a local, said Sahani is a leading fish farmer in the district.
Sahani has been earning Rs 4 million annually from fish farming. He entered commercial fish farming by digging ponds in around 10 bigaha of land. He then started trading, buying fish from local farmers and sending them to markets across the country. He has a fleet of two mini trucks to ferry fishes to the market. Around a dozen people are employed in his hatchery.
Sahani says fish farming brings three times more income than conventional farming.
