| Fish Farming in Plastic Tank |
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Fish farming in pond is a relatively new practice in the rural area of Makawanpur. It is further strange in Chepang community although they are popular in fishing in natural rivers and lakes. Mr. Arde Singh Praja perhaps is the first person from Chepang community who demonstrated a successful project on fish farming in Kankada of Makawanpur, Nepal. Since its successful harvest many other Chepang families are attracted in fish farming programme in Kankada and peripherals.
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Learned fish farming in plastic water harvest tanks from ICIMOD demonstration farm in Godavari, MDI staff Mr. Ram Krishna Praja initiated this demonstration project in Kankada. He suggested Mr. Arde Singh Praja to do this job. Mr. Arde dug a 1 m depth pond with 9.30 m in length and 7.30 m width. This area is the one seventh of a ropani of land. Ram Krishna provided him silpaulin plastic for this pond for collection of water. Note that the area is so fragile that water can not be stored without using plastic.
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Mr. Arde Praja kept 1300 fingerlings of common carp and Naini in this pond during June, 2008. Out of them some 300 fingerlings died due to lack of proper management. He continued to grow remaining 1000 fingerlings in the pond. In five months period on October 4, 2008 during Dashain festival, he harvested 40 kilograms of fish from this pond and sold it with Rs. 110 per kilogram. Thus, he received Rs. 4,400 from a very small pond of 67.89 m3. |
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It gives a per Ropani gross income of Rs. 32,405 which is normally higher income than from sales of vegetable crops. From sales of vegetable normally one can receive Rs.10-12 thousand per ropani in this locality. Normally, fisheries activities in Nepal are performed by men. But, his wife Mrs. Pratima Praja was fully involved in feeding fish and pond maintenance which require intensive daily management.
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She tells that this is good enterprises for housewives as the feeds can be locally prepared and there are no more technical complexities. We have to feed two times a day and require 100 grams of oilcakes and 300 gms of corn flour each time until three months and 200 gms of oilcakes and 300 gms of corn flour from three months onwards. The quantity of the feeds needs to be gradually increased as the growth of the fingerlings.
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She marks that being new pond and first experience in fish farming, the growth of the fingerlings was not so satisfactory. However, we will try best in other lots. In five months period she used 30 kg. of oilcake and 40 kg. of corn flour rendering a total cost of Rs. 1,500 in total. With this assumptions, the financial analysis shows a net profits of Rs, 1,856 (Table.1).
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Table.1
The financial Analysis
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| 1 |
Fixed Cost |
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Pond Depreciation @ 2.5% of Rs. 11,000
(Silpaulin Plastic Rs.10,000 & Digging Cost Rs.1,000) |
275 |
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Labour Cost for feeding
(2250 minutes with 15 minutes per day x @ Rs. 100/8 hours) |
468 |
| 2 |
Operational Cost |
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Fingerlings
(Rs. 0.10/fingerling) |
300 |
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Feeds
(Oilcake 30 kilogram = Rs. 30 x 30 kg =Rs. 900;
Corn flour 40 kilogram = Rs. 15 x 40 kg = Rs. 600) |
150 |
| 3 |
Total Cost (1+2) |
2543 |
| 4 |
Income |
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Gross Sales (40 kg x Rs. 110/kilogram) |
4400 |
| 5 |
Net Benefits (4-3) |
1856 |
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Mr. Arde tells that this is successful enterprise and very relevant to poor families like chepangs since the local feeds of corn flour & oilcakes which is available at household level is enough for feeding fingerlings. He suggests that there should be more than two species in the pond so that feeds can be efficiently utilized. The species should be fast growing in nature. Of the two species, the growth of Naini was found better than that of common carp. The use of plastic is good but still natural soil pond could be of better productive compared to plastic ponds. Moreover, there is no alternative of plastic tanks in such a fragile area like ours.
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He has added another 1500 fingerlings of different species in the same pond. The species are Naini, Grasscarp, Bigheadcarp, Silvercarp and Rohu. He is planning to upscale the scheme by constructing more other ponds.
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All the products were sold in the village itself. He says there is no any market problem even for larger quantities. We have popular local fish market Manahari where we can sell even large quantities of fish. It is just located in half an hour distance in the east-west highway from where fish are supplied in major cities of Nepal and India as well. Only the thing is that we have to be able to produce fish. This successful demonstration of fish farming in the village for the first time has opened up an alternative to successfully integrate a new component in existing crop-livestock mixed farming system for income generation. With this success many villagers have been attracted towards this technology and have asked for support.
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- By Mr. Ram Krishna Praja/Translated by Mr. Khop Narayan Shrestha |
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