Technology Development Board (S&T Department) has extended support for ‘Advanced, Intensive, All Male Tilapia Aquaculture Project with Israeli Technology’ which his inspired by Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana.
The board has penned an mutual agreement, to provide loan assistance of Rs. 8.42 crores out of the total project cost of Rs. 29.78 crores to the company.
About Tilapia
- ‘Tilapia’ has emerged to be one of the most productive and internationally traded food fish in the world.
- The culture of tilapia has become commercially popular in many parts of the world and the fishery experts have dubbed the tilapia as “aquatic chicken” due to its quick growth and low maintenance cultivation.
- Today, if any fish that could be named as global fish, no better name can be thought of than Tilapia.
- In order to facilitate the culture of Tilapia in India in responsible manner, Fountainhead Agro Farms Private Limited envisages setting up of a complete production line (from breeding to full fish) in Mudhol (Karnataka).
- The company aims to produce 500 tons of Tilapia, to be grown from the imported parent broodstock ‘Hermon’ from Nir David Fish Breeding Farm, Israel. Hermon is a hybrid of two selected strains of Tilapia, namely Oreochromis Niloticus (Male) and Oreochromis Aureus (Female), and is known for special characteristics such as high growth rate; resistance to low temperature; light (attractive) colour; all hybrid fry progeny of males only, without the conventional system of usage of hormones.
- The company has adopted advanced Israeli Technology from Aquaculture Production Technology Limited (APTIL), Israel (under Technology Service Agreement signed in October, 2020) for land locked locations through closed loop farming for arid zone with seasonal water supply from rivers, which may be replicated throughout India in multiple arid landlocked locations with reasonable water sources.
- ‘Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY)’ targets to enhance fish production to 220 lakh metric tons by 2024-25, at an average annual growth rate of about 9%.
- The ambitious scheme also aims to double the export earnings to Rs.1,00,000 crore and generate about 55 lakhs direct and indirect employment opportunities in fisheries sector over a period of next five years.
