Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal (SP)

Bantwal, Apr 15: Prajwal Prateek Pinto from Amtoor here, who left his well-paying job in a foreign country two years back and returned to India for good, has found that biofloc form of pisciculture suits him the best and he has tasted success in this method.

After securing his engineering degree in fire and safety at Kochi, Prajwal had bagged the job in the HR department of a company in Dubai. Because of his immense interest in pisciculture, he had returned home.

Within the compound of his house, Prajwal has created a 13,000-litre unit with a capacity of 1,500 fishes at a cost of Rs 3.5 lac. The fishes reach the weight of 500 to 600 grams in five months. Currently, these fishes command a price of Rs 350 per kg. He even has customers who are from Bengaluru and other areas. Even the fish sellers contact him with demand for fish.

Prajwal got to know about this method of pisciculture through his friends when he was abroad. He thereafter studied it through the internet and implemented the same. When the fishes are sick, he takes advice from fisheries college and the agricultural science station.

Currently, he has one tank of 500 kg fish capacity. He is building another one. Four tanks with a capacity of 2,000 kg are coming up in a land owned by a person from Kalladka.

Biofloc method

Biofloc method involves the usage of the remaining food of the house into bacteria through the nitrogen cycle and using it as food for the fishes. This kind of pisciculture is rare. This is purely organic and no chemicals are used. The fish are also provided with pellets of feed brought from the market. These fishes are devoid of any foul smell and are as tasty as sea fishes.

Currently, Prajwal raises Chitralada species of fishes. They can be raised in two phases a year. He gets fingerlings from Kochi which costs Rs 7 each. He had earlier raised tilapia fishes. A sum of Rs 30,000 is spent on raising 1,500 fishes. Even If they are sold for a minimum price, Rs 75,000 income can be earned. In about four months time, the income is Rs 45,000.

Prajwal says that he left his job in a foreign country because of his interest in pisciculture. He said that demand is higher than supply and that hard work always pays.