On the initiative of S. Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister, Punjab, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU), Ludhiana signed a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ (MoU) with Fresh Water Fisheries Research Centre (FFRC), Wuxi, Jiangsu Province of China at Chandigarh, for giving much needed impetus to ‘Blue Revolution’ across the state. The MoU was signed by Dr. A.S. Nanda, the Vice-Chancellor of GADVASU, and the Director of the FFRC, Wuxi. S. Badal and some senior officers of the State Govt. of Punjab and a Chinese delegation led by Mr. Tangjian Ming, Commissioner, Ocean and Fisheries of Jiangsu Province graced the occasion at Punjab Bhawan, Chandigarh.
Dr. A.S. Nanda, said that Fisheries sector in Punjab has registered commendable .JPG)
growth in the last three decades and is presently producing about 1.14 lakh tons of fish annually, with an average production of over 6 t/ha/yr.
He further said “with vast aquaculture resources like village ponds, salt affected, water logged areas and a large network of rivers and canals, there is still voluminous scope of expanding the fisheries sector in the state, through an efficient need based region specific action plan”. China tops the world in fish production and the recently signed MoU will certainly help in upgrading existing technologies for enhancing production/productivity of confine and capture resources of the state, added Dr. Nanda.
The Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University is a pioneer institute for fisheries education and research in the State and has developed many region specific aquaculture technologies for the farmers. The MoU between the GADVASU and the FFRC, Wuxi will further corroborate university capacity and efficiency in developing cutting edge technologies to enhance fish production from the various available resources through collaborative research with respect to intensive aquaculture, culture of high value species, cage culture in reservoirs, inland saline water aquaculture in salt affected south west districts, pearl culture, fish processing and marketing. It will also help the university in capacity building, to cater skilled human resource requirement, through faculty and students exchange programme with FFRC, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province of China. The said MoU will certainly give the much needed lift to state’s ambitious programme of agricultural diversification through aquaculture.
