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Setting a new standard, a demonstration farm of the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture (RGCA), which works under the MPEDA, has produced 15 tonnes of seabass from just one hectare area.
MPEDA officials said that the initiative would encourage the farming community to grow this delectable fish as an alternative species for shrimp aquaculture and earn lucrative prices from its huge demand in domestic and foreign markets.
The demonstration farm of MPEDA-RGCA, established at Karaikal in Pondicherry, had stocked seabass seeds (1.5 to 2.0 cm) produced from the hatchery in the said area. In a period of mere 10 months, 15 tonnes of fish having an average body weight of 1.2-1.5 kg were raised.
The fish were fed with artificial floating pellet feeds and the food conversion ratio (FCR) was found to be extremely encouraging at 1:1.8. The production cost was ₹300 per kg and the fishs were sold at the farm gate for ₹420-450 per kg. A profit of ₹17 lakh was earned from the seabass fish produced from the demo farm area.
Option for diversification
Enthused by the results of the demonstration farm, MPEDA Chairman KS Srinivas said: “Seabass is a boss of diversified aquaculture. It will induce aquaculture farmers to diversify their cultivation choices, especially as an alternative to shrimp farming.”
Seabass ( Lates calcarifer ) is traditionally produced as plate fish for the restaurant trade, but it is now largely sold as fillets for direct sales to major supermarkets. It is an ideal fish for farming in freshwater, brackish water, and saline waters, and can be cultured in the open pond as well as in cages. It has white flaky flesh and milky flavour, highly preferred by consumers, and fetches around ₹400-500 in local markets. It has good demand and value in both the domestic and export markets.
The RGCA operates a three-million fry/fingerlings capacity state-of-the art seabass hatchery at Thoduvai in Tamil Nadu’s Nagapattinam district, the first of its kind in India. So far 18 million seeds have been produced and supplied to the farming community across the country as an alternative species for shrimp aquaculture.
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