Processing can increase profits of fish farmers: Experts

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, August 31

Demand of fish as healthy, nutritious, convenient and quality food is increasing day by day, but at the same time it is also a highly perishable food item which needs proper handling and preservation, starting from the catch till consumption. These views were expressed by Dr Asha Dhawan, Dean, College of Fisheries, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary & Animal Sciences University. She was addressing the concluding session of five-day training programme on ‘Fish Processing and Value Addition’ at the College of Fisheries. She said that there is immense scope in developing value added products from fish. The profitability of the fish farmers can be enhanced through processing, which is required to be integrated with an effective marketing channel. The relevance of fish processing cannot be discounted in tackling fluctuations of fish price. Processed fish can be preserved during lean period for extended availability. Dr Meera D Ansal, Head of the Department, said the training programme was held to educate and provide hands-on training to the fish farmers and entrepreneurs for developing processing skills to establish small-scale fish processing units for higher economic returns. Farmers from different districts of Punjab attended the training programme. The major focus was on processing and value addition for carp fish, which is a major freshwater fish cultured in India and the only freshwater fish, cultured in the state.

The training programme was technically designed to provide practical training in developing value added products from carps, which otherwise are not consumed by locals due to intramuscular spines or pin bones, said Dr Ajeet Singh, course coordinator.

Vijay Kumar Reddy was technical co-ordinator of the training programme. The trainees were given practical exposure to operate different machinery and other processing related activities like cleaning, preservation, cutting, deboning, products preparation and packaging with special reference to quality assurance, marketing and preparation of valuable by-product from fish processing waste through ‘Zero Wastage Fish Processing Technology’ developed by GADVASU.

During the training programme, trainees were provided ‘Hands-on Training’ for different value added fish delicacies (fish balls, fish cutlets, fish fingers, fish sausages and pickle) and by-products (fish meal and fish silage). During the training, Harpreet Singh, public relation officer, GADVASU, educated the farmers about the role of mass media in marketing of fish and fish products.

Dr JS Hundal, assistant professor, Department of Extension, spoke on other utility services provided to the livestock farmers by the university and Dr Nitin Mehta, assistant professor, Department of Livestock Products Technology, apprised the farmers about quality assurance and certification of value added products.