Efforts on to fix minimum support price for fish procurement: Rajesh Dharmani

Bilaspur (HP), Jul 19 (PTI) Efforts are being taken to fix a minimum support price (MSP) for fish procurement to strengthen the economic condition of farmers, Urban Development, Housing, Technical Education, and Vocational and Industrial Training Minister Rajesh Dharmani said on Saturday.

Addressing a day-long district-level fisheries awareness camp organised in Kutbaungand, under the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC), Bilaspur, he said that a meeting with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu will be held soon to take necessary decisions in this regard.

The state government is committed to supporting fish farmers and has reduced fish royalty from 15 per cent to 7.5 per cent, directly benefiting the fisher community, he added.

Dharmani announced that permanent shops will be provided near Oahr, along the four-lane highway, to fish cooperative societies for selling raw and cooked fish. Additionally, temporary stalls will be allowed at suitable points along the Chandigarh-Manali highway, so that local fishermen can directly benefit from the tourist traffic.

The minister instructed Fisheries Department officials to resolve issues where contractors purchase fewer fish during the period of high yield.

He emphasised the need to focus on food processing and value addition so that surplus fish can be preserved in cold storage and further processed to enhance income for local fishermen.

He also mentioned that a cable ferry project has been proposed to connect the Naina Devi Temple with Baba Balak Nath Temple, facilitating the transport of devotees' vehicles across the route. The government has approved Rs 14 lakh for preparing the detailed project report (DPR) of this project.

Vijaypal Nag, President of the Cooperative Society Jagatkhan, demanded the revival of the Fisheries Housing Scheme so that fishermen could be provided with residential benefits.

He pointed out that although APMC collects a one per cent royalty, the cooperative fish societies have yet to receive basic infrastructure support, and urged the construction of an APMC office and other facilities. PTI CORR BPL BAL BAL