Agartala, September 21 (TIWN): With the ongoing initiatives still long away from the target of achieving 20 kg fish production per capita, the state government is now focusing more on intensive scientific aquaculture, official sources said.

Tripura Fisheries Minister Khagendra Jamatia sought central support to provide subsidized fish feed to fish farmers during a recent meeting with Union Minister for Agriculture Radha Mohan Singh at New Delhi.

Speaking at the ministerial session of the meeting on September 16, the minister said that farmers of the state aren’t able to afford the cost of pelleted which is crucial in raising fish productivity. He suggested to provide at least 7 percent government grant on the bank interests for aquaculture farmers and proposed financical assistance to strengthen and meet the expenses on salary and wages of FFDA staff.

The Union Minister reportedly didn’t show much interest to government grants on bank interests or salaried support for raising aquaculture footprint. A source in the government, however, said that the central government officials enquired about the current state support provided to fish farmers and sought a detailed report on the subject in the secretary level meeting held on the following day.

Average consumption of fish in Tripura is very high and about 22 Kg per head. Per capita availability of local fish is barely 17 Kg; the state still has to depend on adjoining Bangladesh and inter-state supplies from Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal for the rest.