A project to develop a fresh water prawn seed hatchery at Umarwada in Bharuch district is yet to start functioning although the infrastructure setup is nearly ready. The project is financially and technically supported by French government under the Indo-French Financial Protocol 1996. | |
| If and when the project starts functioning it will be highly beneficial to the aquaculture farmers of Bharuch district as they will be able to get 40 mn pure and quality fresh water prawn seeds per annum. |
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| However, when the project will start functioning is not clear. When contacted the fisheries department of the state is treating the issue like a confidential project. |
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| Under the Indo-French Financial Protocol 1996 the project was partially funded by the French government. The French government also provided the technological support. |
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| Objective of the project was to provide pure and quality fresh water prawn seeds to the fish farmers, to reduce pressure on the natural resources of prawn seed availability from the River Narmada and River Tapti and to increase the fresh water prawn production as well as to make the aquaculture more lucrative. Gujarat Fisheries Central Co-operative Association Ltd (GFCCL) is the implementing agency. |
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| An official from GFCCL, on condition of anonymity said, "The Umarwada project is almost complete with majority of infrastructure ready. We had to provide 17 grow out ponds, 12 nursery cement cisterns, accommodation buildings, training centre hatchery and technical building, Larval rearing centre, electrical facilities and pump the house of the farm. All these infrastructure has been set up. Gujarat Electricity Board has released the electric connection and we have even obtained the permission to operate the generators." |
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| A 2.4 km long pipeline connecting the farm site with the irrigation canal has been laid. Almost all the infrastructure is ready for the hatchery to start functioning. He added that he has no idea as when the hatchery will actually begin functioning as no directives have been issued from the department of fisheries yet. |
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| When contacted, AU Buch, the deputy commissioner of Fisheries Department of the state, he simply refused to answer the question saying, "We have no idea and I am not the official spokesperson to answer that question. You can ask the agriculture minister." While Sanjay Nandan, the commissioner of Fisheries Department is presently in France for training. |
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| As per the information provided by the agriculture department of the state the France government has provided 53 per cent of the cost of the project, while the rest 47 per cent fund has been provided by the state government. The cost of the project was Rs 5.6 crore of which France has to provide Rs 2.97 crore and the rest Rs 2.63 crore had to come from the state exchequer. |
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| However, the actual cost of the project has come to Rs 9.25 crore with no changes in the aid amount from the French government. |
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| The French government has also completed its work through its consultant agency M/s Copereche. The consultants have provided preliminary design of the hatchery, detailed engineering design, procurement and installation of the equipment and technical support by training two officials of fisheries department at Guadeloupe (French islands). |
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