ICAR-CIFA organizes interface on ‘Aquaone centre’

3 July 2018, Bhubaneswar

The ICAR - Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture today organised an interface meet on “Aquaone Centre (AOC)”. Aquaone centre, a new initiative of National Fisheries Development Board(NFDB), Hyderabad, is an ICT enabled aquaculture support service and would help wider dissemination of newer aquaculture technology and innovation to the fish farming community. It will function in complementarity with exiting public fisheries extension system, informs Dr.Manas Kumar Sinha, Senior executive, NFDB.

The interface meeting with researchers, entrepreneurs, service providers and policy makers would help understand the concept and operational aspects of Aquaone Centre. It also provides a platform to discuss the issues of convergence with other development endeavours in fisheries sector and to firm up strategy for upscaling this innovate model, informs Director CIFA Dr S.S. Mishra.

Dr Mishra also launched four innovative projects, supported by NFDB, on this occasion. The projects would work on themes like- demonstration of minor carp, carp brood diet, carp feed and virtual learning.

The interface meet was attended by five service providers engaged by NFDB for establishing Aquaone Centre, scientist of ICAR-CIFA and other ICAR Institutes, farmers, line department officers, NGOs etc.

AOC service providers viz. Information and Inputs for Sustainable Aquaculture (IIFSA), Nellore, Andhra Pradesh;Stampit Business Solutions LLP &Sanray Laboratories Pvt. Ltd, Hyderabad;National Federation of Fishermen’s Cooperatives Ltd, FISHCOFED, New Delhi;BrihaspathiTechnologies Pvt Ltd, Hyderabad andFrontalrain Technologies Pvt. Ltd. Bangalore attended the meet and interacted with the farmers, entrepreneurs and scientists.

The service provider will responsible to provide interface between NFDB and selected hatcheries/seed growers/ fish farmers in sourcing, procurement, transport and stocking of brood fish/ seed material for further rearing/ stocking grow out ponds.

Aquaone centres will provide Aquaculture support services likepond monitoring, input management, health diagnosis, water analysis, advisory services etc. It is expected that the centres would bridge research-extension gap and would make aquaculture support services available to fish farmers, fish seed growers etc. at their doorstep. ICT tools are poised to play a major role in developing fisheries sector in the country.

(Source: ICAR - Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture)