Four fish processing units soon

Our Correspondent
Una, November 18

Rural Development and Animal Husbandry Minister Virender Kanwar on Sunday said four new fish processing units would be set up in the state’s cooperative sector. Speaking at the district-level cooperative day celebrations during the 65th National Cooperative Week, he said the fish processing units would help in value addition, increase shelf life and provide better marketing facilities for the produce, while providing new job opportunities to locals. 

Kanwar said there were ample opportunities in the state for fish rearing as there was abundance of water bodies here. As many as 33 fish cooperative societies were already working in the state for catching and marketing raw fish. The cooperative sector should address the marketing issues of farmers and fish cultivators.   

The minister said the Union Government had constituted a National Cooperative Development Corporation with a budget provision of Rs 1,000 crore, adding that the corporation would help boost the sector. 

The cooperative movement in the country began at Panjawar village of Una district in 1892 and the state today has a weak cooperative sector. He called upon officers, employees and members of various cooperatives not to restrict their activities to micro-credit and micro-savings, but diversify into social and developmental activities. 

Earlier, Assistant Registrar of the Cooperative Department Surinder Kumar said 2.25 lakh people, who constituted about 43 per cent of the population in Una district, were linked with the cooperative sector through 377 cooperative societies. He said the cumulative working capital of these societies was  Rs 1,883 crore. The minister also honoured outstanding cooperative societies of the district.  

Later, the minister inaugurated a veterinary dispensary at Lathiani village, which was announced by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur during his last visit to the Kutlehar segment. On the occasion, he said a sum of Rs 10 crore was being spent on the promotion of goat rearing activities, adding that a 60 per cent subsidy on cost of animals was being provided to beneficiaries, who could opt for 3,5 or 10 units of goats.