Kripan Sarkar holds a Carp. Picture by Biplab Basak

For Kripan Sarkar, it all started with a pair of Guppies bought for a piffling sum and a small aquarium. As passion turned into profession, the collection grew to Goldfishes, Black Mollies, Carps, Tiger Barbs, Rainbow Sharks, Angels and more Guppies, filling 13 ponds. The fish-farmer now exporters his stuff to US, Germany, Holland, Bangladesh, Nepal, Thailand, and Singapore. Sarkar’s claim to fame — he is the only ornamental fish-breeder in north Bengal.

Located at Raninagar, some 8 km from Jalpaiguri town, is his sprawling farm of nine bighas, which was set up in 1998. Here in the plankton-filled ponds Kripan has bred around 200 species of ornamental fish.

“I am the only one in North Bengal who breeds ornamental fish. It is a productive area and has a good market in the country and abroad. But there are some also constraints,” said Kripan, as he tried to net a goldfish in one of the ponds.

“I am experimenting with cross-breeding today,” he explains with an excited look on his face. “I think it will be successful,” he adds, handing over the hand-net to a farm labour to continue with the catch.

“My team here consists of my wife Anna and these five men. The fish are scientifically bred in these ponds. Plankton is served and the water regularly checked for oxygen levels. You have to very careful in this field. Breeding needs special care,” he said, checking on the silvery-bodied two-day-old Angels swimming in a tank.

Asked about the business problems, Sarkar said: “The problem lies with supply of fishes. On a number of occasions, I was unable to supply the orders placed because I did not have enough of fishes. Lack of adequate transport system is another problem. I have to take the help of licensed exporters. Since I do not have direct access to the exporters, the price fetched by these fishes is not very high. It is the middlemen who make the maximum profit. Moreover, you also have to take into account the percentage of fishes that die during the journey,” he said.

Kripan has decided to tie-up with missionary institutions to spread the concept of ornamental fish-breeding among local fishermen. “I hope to form a co-operative society, of at least 100 farmers, which will help in bulk breeding and get us a steady market,” he said.

A major problem, said Kripan, was the absence of any plans with the state fisheries department to promote breeding of ornamental fish. He, however, admitted that the district fisheries department did provide him “moral support”.

“The officials drop by frequently. They appreciate my ideas and activities. But I know that they can do nothing,” he said.

According to him, breeding of ornamental fish could be a good source of income for unemployed youths. “I started small but today I have reached a position where I can go in for experiments. What is needed among the unemployed youths of today is awareness about the trade. Setting up a business like mine does not much capital,” he said.