(From left) Bameti director RK Sohane, ICAR senior scientist DK Kaushal and joint director (fisheries) YK Mathur attend the seminar in Patna on Tuesday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Patna, Aug. 31: A workshop for farmers and technicians was organised by the Bihar Agricultural Management and Extension Training Institute (Bameti) at a city hotel on Tuesday.

The experts opined that to increase fish production in the state, the fisheries department would undertake research in the field of fisheries to enhance production of fish.

Bameti director R.K. Sohane said: “For increasing fish production in the state, the government last year had declared mangur as the state fish and special initiatives and drives have been taken by the fisheries department for the production of mangur.”

Steps have also been taken to increase fish production in other districts of the state, on the lines of Samastipur, Darbhanga and Madhubani, the districts which have been successfully producing fish locally.

Sohane said that steps have also been taken to start fish food mills in all districts of the state and in this direction the state government has inked a deal with Oriental Bank of Commerce for setting up a fish food mill in Khagaria district.

Rajesh Kumar, assistant director of Bameti said: “As mangur has been declared the state fish for Bihar, special initiatives have been taken for mangur production.”

For providing assistance to fish farmers, the fisheries department is also providing training through Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana. Last year on the same lines more than 1,400 fish farmers from the state had gone for training at Kakinada.

Kumar also said: “On the basis of Kisan Credit Cards, the state government will soon introduce fish credit cards for farmers in all the districts of Bihar.”

Bameti also organised a workshop for farmers and technicians for the need of organic farming on Tuesday.

Speakers at the workshop deliberated on the use of vermi compost farming and Bameti has selected 206 farms in which vermi compost farming will be practised for cultivation of rice, wheat and cereals. Bameti has emphasised on minimum use of fertilisers in all fields within a span of five years.