Price of fish feed goes up by Rs 2, Kullu farmers cry foul

Dipender Manta

Tribune News Service

Mandi, July 23

In a blow to trout fish farmers of Kullu district, the Fisheries Department has hiked the price of fish feed as Rs 2 per kg. The cost of fish feed was Rs 95 per kg earlier and now it would cost Rs 97 per kg.

Fish farmers of the district were already facing brunt of the natural calamity that occurred in the year 2018, when flash floods had damaged their raceways and caused considerable loss to the fish production.

Since then, fish farmers of the district were demanding a financial assistance from the state government to cope with the losses but till date they get no financial assistance from the government.

Kullu district is known for the production of trout fish, where a large number of farmers were involved in fish farming to sustain themselves. Similarly, there was a government fish farm at Patlikuhal in Kullu district, which was known for trout fish production. But in 2018, a flash flood had damaged government fish farm at Patlikuhal, which could not be restored till date.

Fish farmers of the district said that the fisheries department should roll back the hike in price of fish feed, which would be a huge relief for them.

Shakti Singh, president of Trout Fish Farmers Association, Kullu, told

The Tribune, “We were waiting for a financial package from the state government to cope with the current situation amid Covid-19 crisis. Instead of providing any relief, the department has hiked the price of fish feed as Rs 2.

“The fish farmers of Kullu district were already facing the brunt of natural calamity, which occurred in year 2018 and it caused huge financial losses to them. Since then we get no relief from the state government. Now covid-19 outbreak is affecting the farmers in the district,” he added.

“We urge the Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur to ask the Fisheries Department authority to withdraw the price hike of fish feed with immediate effect and provide a relief package to the fish farmers in the district” he remarked.

When contacted, Deputy Director, Fisheries Department, Kullu, Susheel Janartha said that due to cost increase in production of fish feed, the department has hiked the price of feed as Rs 2.

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