Port Blair, Aug 01: Under Mera Gaon Mera Gaurav Programme (MGMG), ICAR-Central Island Agricultural Research Institute conducted an awareness programme on aquatic fish diseases and Integrated Horticulture Development on 1st August, 2019 at Chouldari Panchayat Hall under the aegis of National Surveillance Programme for Aquatic Animal Diseases (NSPAAD).
The programme organized under the guidance of Dr. A. Kundu, Director, CIARI was presided by Shri Mohan Halder, Pradhan, Chouldari Panchayat. In his address, Shri Mohan Halder appreciated the efforts of ICAR-CIARI in initiating Mera Gaon Mera Gaurav programme wherein nine teams of Scientists and Technical Officers regularly visit the villages of South Andaman district and provide agro-advisories to farmers. In this regard, he assured to provide the details of farmers under his panchayat, so that the scientific team can guide the farmers of his panchayat and facilitate doubling their income through increased fish production in a participatory way involving line departments and PRI. He elaborated how the recently established Sunday Haat at Chouldari has turned out to be a success model in increasing the income of farmers by avoiding the exploitation by middle man. He further requested the team to organize a capacity building programme on ornamental fish production.
Later, Dr. K. Saravanan explained the farmers about the management of fish health, Dr. J. Praveenraj about better management practices in fresh water aquaculture, Dr. B. Augustine Jerard on the prospects of coconut cultivation and virgin coconut oil production, Dr. V. Damodaran on tuber crop management, Dr. S.K. Zamir Ahmed on livelihood options in agricultureand allied fields and Dr. R. Jaya Kumaravaradan on the modalities of MGMG programme and the importance of water conservation and its management under the ongoing Jal Sakti Abhiyan of Government of India.
This was followed by Scientist-Farmer Interaction chaired by Shri Asim Baidya, Up-Pradhan, Chouldari Panchayat wherein the issues raised by the farmers pertaining to fish rearing, disease management, feed , maintenance of pond were addressed; and integration of different components for doubling the farmers income was discussed in length by the team. Altogether, 25 farmers participated in the programme.
The team also visited different farmers’ fields at Chouldari to have a firsthand information on the problems faced and suggested the intervention to be taken up with technological backstopping of CIARI and support of line departments.
