A Field day with farmers/fishermen was organised

15th October 2023, Chettuva Estuary

ICAR- Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute, Goa and Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, Kochi, jointly organised a field day for the farmers and fishermen in Venkitangu Panchayat near Chettuva estuary today as a part of the ongoing post-doctoral research work.

A team visited about 20 different households of fishermen and farmers and interacted with the farmers to identify the major challenges faced by them. The purpose of the visit was to understand the issues faced by the farmers and fishers belonging to the Scheduled Caste community and interventions required for dairy animals and implementing sustainable fish culture activities in an integrated way with ducks/poultry in the panchayat.

This is a novel venture between KUFOS and the Scheduled Caste Sub Plan programme of ICAR-CCARI, wherein selected beneficiaries would be provided technical and financial support to enhance their livelihood prospects. The team also made an assessment of the issues faced by the fishermen, who indicated that the siltation is the major challenge in the estuary, which reduced the depth of the estuary significantly. As a result, the fish productivity of the estuary is drastically reduced and technological interventions are required for the removal of silt from the estuary.

Animal feed supplements were distributed to the livestock/poultry/goat and duck farmers as a part of the programme. As an offshoot of the programme, it was suggested to form a self-help group of fishermen and farmers to promote integrated farming and value addition in agriculture in the region through different schemes of the agencies.

(Source: ICAR- Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute, Goa)