Faiza Tehseen

The Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) fisheries department has launched ‘backyard kitchen fish farming’ initiative to help generate employment opportunities for women and also to enhance their household nutrition levels. The project was launched in March this year. “Normally, women do not have enough financial resources to establish their own businesses. After the first year of launching, the project will be introduced in all those areas where both environment and water temperatures are ideal for fish farming,” Ikram Hussain, deputy director of GB fisheries (planning and development), told WealthPK. He said that before the start of the project, one-week training sessions were conducted in July and August 2022. “About 300 women from different areas joined the sessions conducted with the help of the local community and women-oriented organisations.”

He said fish farming was a bit new for women, but the training sessions had prepared them for the job. He said 55 fish farms (20 feet wide, 40 feet long, and five feet deep) had been established. “This space is enough to produce 500 kilogrammes of fish. These ponds are stonewalled and partially cemented on the bed to prevent water seepage. Both seed and feed have been provided to the fish farmers.”   He said till June, the GB fisheries department had a target to establish 100 fish farms. “In the first phase, the model project has been launched in all the three subdivisions of Gilgit district.”

Ikram Hussain said all seed, feed, hand net, cleaning brush and training were provided free of cost. He said according to feed consumption ratio, 2kg of feed was provided to harvest 1kg of fish. Ikram Hussain said women had been provided with enough seed and feed for a whole season. He added that fish ponds could be set up in the house’s backyard, courtyard or garden. “About Rs500,000 can be earned in a season.”

The GB fisheries department official said in the first stage, women were trained only to farm fish, not to manage hatcheries. He said as fish was high in demand in GB, women farmers would have no problem finding a marketplace. He said the fisheries department had provided the women with enough seed/feed for carp, which can be harvested in October. This project can be replicated in other provinces of Pakistan, where women can also be trained to add value and market their aquatic food products.   

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk