Key Points

These entrepreneurs are producing high-quality fish feed at affordable prices, supplying both local markets and out-of-state fisheries. Their ventures, backed by financial assistance under the PMMSY, are revitalising fish farming in the region.

One such success story is that of Abhinav Kumar Anand, who runs a fish feed manufacturing unit with an 8-tonne capacity at the BIADA Industrial Area in Bhagalpur.

"After availing the benefits of PM Matsya Sampada Yojana, my annual turnover has grown to between Rs 7 crore and Rs 8 crore," Anand told IANS.

His unit produces vegetarian feed for fish, including floating and swimming feed. Anand attributes his growth to the support he received from District Fisheries Officer Krishna Kanhaiya and UCO Bank. He was initially granted Rs 40 lakh under the scheme and later sanctioned a loan of Rs 49 lakh, along with a 40 per cent government subsidy.

Today, Abhinav's fish feed mill employs 37 skilled and unskilled workers, including seven women, and has six dedicated marketing teams. He supplies feed across multiple districts in Bihar and Jharkhand. His monthly turnover, once Rs 20 lakh, has surged to Rs 76 lakh, with production increasing by 1.5 times.

He credits this transformation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision, saying: "After Swami Vivekananda, it is the Prime Minister who is showing the best path to realising India's dreams."

Anand urges people to take advantage of central and state government schemes, saying his own success is proof of the benefits now reaching the grassroots.

Shamsher Singh is a fish farmer from Adalpur village in Sanhaula block of Bhagalpur. His feed mill, which uses dried fish powder mixed with linseed cake, has a production capacity of 2 tonnes.

"Earlier, my income was around Rs 5 lakh. After receiving assistance under PMMSY, it has increased to Rs 20 lakh," he said.

Singh noted that demand for his fish feed now far exceeds supply, with his mill able to serve only 20 to 25 fish farmers. Still, the transformation is undeniable.

"The PMMSY has changed my life," he said.

The PMMSY was launched by the Department of Fisheries, under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying, to bring about ecologically healthy, economically viable, and socially inclusive development of the fisheries sector of India.

The PMMSY is aimed at bringing about the Blue Revolution through sustainable and responsible development of the fisheries sector in India at a total investment of Rs 20,050 crore for holistic development of the fisheries sector, including the welfare of fishers. PMMSY is implemented in all the states and Union Territories for a period of five years from FY 2020-21 to FY 2024-25.

- IANS