On the basis of present study and observations made in the field by the Consultant, the following recommendations are made for the sound development and promotion of sustainable warm water fish culture or aquaculture in the potential areas of AJK by thus the fish production is increased. The increased fish production supplement the urgent need of animal protein of the growing population as well as it also increases the income of people through diversified job opportunities.
10.1 Develop a Long Term Perspective Plan on Inland Fisheries Development.
To cash in the potentiality of aquaculture development as well as open water fishery, a concerted effort need to be made for developing a long term perspective plan on Inland Fisheries Development in which the need and the scale of a concrete production programme through aquaculture development as well as study programmes in support to open water fisheries has to be identify and accordingly the institutional frame, human resources and investment need to be expanded and upgraded to achieve the target.
10.2 Extend higher priority to the Southern Districts for the Development of Warm Water Fish culture/aquaculture.
Due to the Geo. - physical conditions of the AJK state, the southern districts; Mirpur and Bhimber having warmer climatic condition, adequate water source and available plain land show very conducive conditions for the commercial scale of development of warm water fish culture or aquaculture in compare to the northern districts having cold or colder climatic condition and limited land. Therefore, in developing the Warm Water Fish Culture strategy, higher priority need to be given to the southern districts for the commercial scale while in the northern districts as per the potentiality of a place need to be explored at artesian scale so that more fish is produced to meet the requirement of the growing population and also create job opportunity to the mass.
10.3 Develop a firm policy to exploit the present wetland or wasteland along the main irrigation canal - Upper Jhelum Canal (UJC) at Mirpur.
In southern district - Mirpur, a large area of land (private as well as public owned) along the main irrigation canal called Upper Jhelum Canal (UJC) are observed being wasted in the form of wetland/wasteland due to the water seepage from UJC. The huge area (the Consultant roughly estimates over 500 hectare i.e. 10,000 kanals) is presently out of cultivation as they are either water logged/swampy or highly infested with aquatic weed which is merely waste of available resources. Instead of keeping such valuable land as unproductive wetland/wasteland, the GOAJK should make a serious study on the possibility of their reuse under aquaculture to produce fish and provide job opportunity to the mass. On finding the possibility of reuse in positive way, the Government should develop a firm policy on leasing of such unproductive land under government control with defined terms and conditions for a definite period to the interested private sector parties for the promotion of aquaculture.
A favourable policy on the reuse of such wet or waste land under aquaculture geared with technical support service to the private sector is sure to promote warm water fish culture or aquaculture into commercial scale or as an industry in a shorter period not on the Government owned land only but this activity spreads on privately owned land too. Thus this activity will not only increase fish production to supplement animal protein but it also facilitates the reuse of productive land which was wasted due to seepage of water and also extends an enormous job opportunities in diversified way to the mass of the people.
10.4 Develop the fisheries institution - Fishery Wing in new dimension to promote warm water Fish Culture/Aquaculture as Industry.
The present institution - Fishery Wing under the Department of TWAF is young, small and fragile, Therefore, in the contest of new thinking of fisheries/aquaculture development and its future production programme, the present institutional frame work needs a new dimension and it needs expansion not only at state level but also at district and village level, so that the technology suited to the local conditions is developed, disseminated and maintained at the grass root level to increase fish production. Therefore, the Consultant strongly recommend to expand and strengthen the institutional framework of the Fishery Wing as shown in Annex - XIV.
10.5 Develop field oriented Human Resource in quantity and quality.
The present strength of human resource under the Fishery Wing is meagre and inadequate (in quantity as well as in quality) even for smooth implementation of the project activities. Therefore, to promote the sustainable warm water fish culture/aquaculture in AJK the present institution - Fishery Wing urgently needs a sound strengthening of manpower in quantity as well as in quality. Therefore, the Consultant strongly recommends to strengthen the manpower of Fishery Wing as proposed institutional framework under 11.4 so that the project activities are implemented smoothly in the field for anticipated impacts.
10.6 Increase Budgetary Allocation.
Due to the lack of investment in this field, the Fishery Wing has neither a minimum facility nor a core of manpower besides the rented Nursery Unit with three small earthen ponds at Panjgran. The on-going project aims to establish two Fish Seed Production and Distribution Centres in public sector at Chikar and Mirpur and make them fully operational, for which a substantial budgetary allocation in needed for acquiring the land, constructing the necessary ponds and other facilities and for their smooth operation. The Fishery Wing allocated budget for this fiscal year even is not adequate to start the construction works at two places at a time. Therefore, the budgetary allocation in the field of fisheries need to be increased substantially to get sound impact within the given time even.
10.7 Inclusion of Warm Water Fish Culture/Aquaculture under the prevailing Government's Credit Scheme.
So far in AJK, no credit scheme exist in the field of fish culture. There are mainly two sources of credit; the first one is ADB/P and second source is Co-operative Bank. The former Bank had suspended all loan scheme in AJK but on the request of project the Bank management has very recently agreed to accept the production loan, while the second Bank does not accept an individual loan as this bank is for the promotion of the Co-operatives. Thus under the prevailing condition it is very difficult to develop fish culture activity in commercial scale. Therefore, in prevailing credit policy, GOAJK should include Warm Water Fish Culture/Aquaculture as other disciplines, so that the interested private sector farmers are encouraged to develop this activity in the form of industry.
10.8 Depute one Assistant Director - Fisheries at Mirpur.
A number of private sector farmers at Mirpur are very much interested in fish culture but they are hesitant to take up the activity in large scale or commercial scale in lack of technical support service in the district. Recently a number of private sector farmers exhibited good results even or receiving a limited technical support from the on-going project and with these results other many farmers are encouraged. To bring these enthusiastic private sector farmers of Mirpur in main stream of warm water fish culture/aquaculture as well as for the smooth implementation of the project activities also, a qualified Assistant Director,- Fisheries need to be deployed with immediate effective at Mirpur district. Later on, with the start of the construction works, the same Officer is assigned as In-Charge of Fish Seed Production and Distribution Centre. This way, in one hand the assigned Officer will be able to pursue the administrative work of land acquisition, and construction works and in other hand render technical assistance to encourage the private sector farmers to develop sustainable fish culture/aquaculture.
10.9 Hire a qualified Engineer for the field supervision of the construction work at Chikar.
As per the approved master plan of Fish Seed Production and Distribution Centre, at Chikar, the construction work need to start with immediate effective so that by the end of the year the construction of ponds are completed and grown up fish brought from outside is maintained as brood fish and in the forthcoming breeding season the fish is bred within the Centre.
To initiate the construction work of Fish Seed Production and Distribution Centre, at Chikar, the project has supported the Engineer's service to give layout of the ponds as per master plan as well as to supervise the construction works for five times. During the construction of the Centre utmost care and precaution need to be given to avoid the technical mistake for which a full time Sub-Engineer need to be recruited and deputed at the site for day to day supervision of the construction works and preparing the running bills etc. and in future his service be used to support the private sector farmer's pond constructions. For the sound construction of the Centre at Chikar, the Consultant further strongly suggest the Department of TWAF to hire the same Engineer who took pain in designing the Centre for the over all supervision of the construction so that no serious mistake is made during the construction.
10.10 To record the month of May as breeding period of Grass Carp - the Chinese Carps at Mirpur.
At the beginning, the Consultant could not get any information on the right time/period of Chinese Carp breeding in AJK as no such breeding was carried out before. Therefore, the Consultant collected information from the adjacent areas of Punjab Province and on that basis approximately the breeding period was estimated to middle to end May. But in practice, the breeding period was found slightly earlier than the estimated period as in conducted experiment cum training of induced breeding of Grass Carp, some of the female fish showed the symptoms of re-absorption of the eggs. Thus, this experiment was technically valuable in identifying the right period of Grass Carp - the Chinese Carps breeding besides the training. Therefore, the Consultant recommend to start breeding of Chinese Carp with the beginning May at Mirpur.
10.11 Distribute Yearlings instead of fingerlings to the farmers of Northern districts.
Due to the Geo.- physical condition of the northern districts of AJK, about 5/6 months (October/March) of the year falls under severe cold while the other 7/6 months have warmer or hot climatic conditions, in which period the warm water fish are easily grown to bigger size. Under the prevailing climatic condition, if 1 -2" sized fingerlings of cultivable fish species are distributed to the farmers, then it wont be possible to grow fish to harvest size in a year. Thus farmers have to raise the same fish for second year to make table size fish and this culture method do not take only long period but it also turns out expensive to the farmers. This expensive and time consuming method could be curtailed provided the farmers are given one year old fingerling i.e. yearlings of 20 - 30 grams and orienting them to raise yearlings to table sized fish within a growing season. Therefore, for the benefits of the private sector farmers the public sector should takes pain to raise the small fingerlings to yearlings at public sector Nursery Unit stationed at Panjgran. This way the private sector farmers get benefited with fish culture. In future, with the growth of fish culture even the private sector farmer may also raise fingerlings to yearlings for higher economic benefit. Therefore, the Consultant strongly recommend to procure the fingerlings of different cultivable fish species and raise to yearling and distribute to the farmers even at the higher price, so that in the farmers pond the yearlings could be raised to table fish within a year or single growing season.
10.12 Form a Co-ordination Team specially in other Project/Programme area for better co-ordination and smooth implementation of the project activities.
The Fishery Project aimed to launch fish culture activities in different areas of AJK not establishing own institutional structure but seeking humble association and co-operation of the on-going projects/programmes e.g.; NJVCDP, SWMP, BUDP and NRMP. But during the implementation of the project activities (e.g.; training of extension staff. Group Promoters and farmers) some fore seen as well as unforeseen problems were encountered. Most of the encountered problems were resolved by the efforts of project personnel and the activities were carried out successfully. However, on the basis of this experiences, the Consultant is in view that in an area where two or more projects or programmes are involved, me project's activities either need to be implemented in integrated way or towards integration by forming a functional small Co-ordination Team of three or four heads representing the involved projects/programmes at district level so that the credit as well as discredit is shared equally in team sprit from its planning stage to achieving the targets stage. Such Committee need to review the progress made periodically and also resolves the encountered problems at the field level resulting smooth implementation of the project activities.
