Una siblings shun corporate jobs, take to fish rearing

Awarded by National Fisheries Development Board in 2019

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Form organisation of 150 fish farmers

-Brothers Anil Rana and Akhil Rana said they reared rohu, katla, mrigul, common carp and grass carp species of fish, most of which reach up to 5 kg in weight.

-They have formed an organisation of about 150 fish-rearing farmers and registered it as the first Farmer Produce Organisation (FPO) of the state in the fisheries sector.

Rajesh Sharma

UNA, JULY 9

Siblings Anil Rana and Akhil Rana quit their high-paying jobs in the corporate sector in 2013 and took to fish rearing in their native Panjawar village, a part of the Haroli subdivision. They started with cultivating fish on 2 hectares of pond area and doubled it to 4 hectares, two years ago.

Anil Rana said they wanted to work and grow on their own and so they came back to the roots in their ancestral village. Taking technical and financial assistance under the Union Government-funded ‘National Mission for Protein Supplement’ scheme, they made two fish ponds on their property, each measuring one hectare.

Akhil said they introduced 10,000 fingerlings in one pond and in one year, they harvested 10 metric tonnes of fish from each, giving them adequate profit and motivation to expand their venture. He said in 2018, they took advantage of the benefits under the Blue Revolution Scheme and constructed two more ponds of one hectare area each.

The brothers said they reared rohu, katla, mrigul, common carp and grass carp species of fish, most of which reach up to 5 kg in weight. They have formed an organisation of about 150 fish-rearing farmers and registered it as the first Farmer Produce Organisation (FPO) of the state in the fisheries sector.

Anil and Akhil were given the ‘Best Inland Fish Farmer of India’ award in 2019 by National Fisheries Development Board, Hyderabad. The brothers have ambitious expansion plans of setting up a bioflock fish farm, a fish processing unit and a sales outlet under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Scheme. “We have applied under the scheme and are hopeful that we will get the financial assistance,” said Akhil.

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Captions

Una-9July-1 : Anil and Akhil Rana at their fish farm in Panjawar village of Una district.

Una-9July-2 : Anil Rana shows a fish being reared at his farm in Panjawar village of Una district

Photos : RAJESH SHARMA