Patna, June 17: To increase fish cultivation and encourage more people to join the occupation, the state animal husbandry and fisheries department today introduced a special insurance scheme for freshwater fish farming.

The scheme would help farmers recover their investment in times of natural disaster, like drought or flood.

Bihar is the first state to introduce such a scheme. For the 2011-2012 fiscal, the department has set itself a target of 1.5 lakh tonne fish production.

Animal husbandry and fisheries minister Giriraj Singh handed over the cheque of Rs 5 lakh to the insurance company as premium. He also handed over the insurance policy to three fish farmers, Raxaul resident Vinod Mahto, Hajipur resident Sunil Kumar Sahu and Patna resident Viganji.

At the launch, Singh said: “The state government spends Rs 2,000 crore annually to purchase fish from other states. The department has set itself the target to cut down on this amount over the next three years. The government is trying its best to provide security to fish farmers, as it is very difficult for them to re-start their enterprise once they are hit by a natural disaster.”