Guwahati: Nalbari district in Assam is likely to become the magur hub of India.

Sources in the Krishi Vigyan Kendra said the Centre was soon going to declare it as magur hub as the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), Bhubaneswar, and the Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA) already collected data on ground.

Breeders are using modified breeding technique for magur fish (Clarias batrachus), a kind of cat fish, in the district for largescale production and catering to the needs of other states.

In the current year, a farmer sold around four lakh magur fingerlings.

who has been leading the initiative, of natural habitations population as well as it is highly desirable all potential and in seed production of Magur for procurement ofmagur for them. Five FRP Magur hatcheries were received from the institute. The success of those peer farmers in breeding and raising of Magur fish drew attention and attracted other fish farmers of the districtin the noble operationin the stateLot of fish die at the period. outside the state are also contacted these breeders of Nalbari for In the last season, about 347 other farmers have taken seeds from the breeders of Nalbari for magur farming.

The success of these farmers led local MLA Ashok Sarma, and Vice Chancellor of Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat Kaml Malla Bujarbaruah for a field visit recently. When asked farmers about the cost investment for magur breeding, Hemanta Das said, "Although monetary Investment is very less but one has to do lot of hard work for success. For me it is like taking care of a new born child kept in ICU.

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