Patna, June 8: Pangasius fish lovers in the state have something to cheer about. The government will launch a pilot project for farming the fish in Bihar to reduce its dependence on other states to meet its fish consumption requirement.

The fish is imported from Andhra Pradesh at present.

The animal husbandry and fisheries resources minister, Giriraj Singh, said: “The project will help to meet demands of fisheries in the state.”

The minister said: “I fail to understand why Bihar is importing fish worth Rs 2,000 crore every year and why can’t we do the farming here. I have decided to launch the farming of Pangasius (catfish), which is popular and easy to farm.”

Commenting on the farming of the fish, he said: “National Fish Development Board will help in executing the project and S. Ayyappa, director-general of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), is coming to Patna on June 21 and I will discuss the issue with him. Other issues will also be discussed that day. It is likely to be a meeting of agriculture cabinet.”

The minister said: “We want catfish to be available in the markets so that people get a chance to know about its nutritional value and culinary significance.”

He said: “The fish is excellent, it successfully resists diseases and has a versatile feeding habit. Growing catfish is far easier than growing other breeds. This freshwater fish can be cultured in fishponds, concrete fish tanks, fish cages and it can grow up to 1.5kg in five to six months.”