Mayukh Goswami 

Mangaldai : Darrang Deputy Commissioner Munindra Nath Ngatey on May 22 ceremonially launched the release programme of seeds of the hatchery produced Mola ( Moa) fish to the fish farmers of Darrang district. The programme first of its kind in the state under a project called ‘ taking nutrition- sensitive carp -small indigenous seed polyculture technology to scale ‘ implemented by WorldFish a Malaysia based international non profit organization in collaboration with the state fisheries department and funded by GIZ of Germany .

In this connection a public function was organized here at the auditorium of Sanatan Dharma Sabha where Deputy Commissioner Ngatey launched the programme by distributing seeds to five selected farmers and also by releasing Mola seeds to the pond in the campus. In his inaugural speech Deputy Commissioner appealed to the local fish farmers to come forward and earn profit through ethical practice of Mola production by proper utilization of the large nos of wetlands of the district. He also asked the fishery officials to play an active role in scientific guiding and training of the local the fish growers for a desired result. Speaking on the occasion Dr Sanjay Sarma, fisheries project coordinator ARIASS explained how they succeeded to artificially breed Mola for the first time in Assam at its partner hatchery of young local fish grower Biswajyoti Sarma located at village Chotonagaon of the district.

He added that nearly one million Mola seeds could be produced through repeated scientific breeding exercises. Resident consultant and project coordinator of WorldFish Dr R Suresh and Dr Sourabh Dubey respectively also spoke on the occasion. Later talking to this correspondent Dr Dubey said ‘Moa in Assam is a champion species in the light of nutrition sensitive approaches. It’s intake can make a crucial contribution towards reaching recommended dietary supplements to fight against malnutrition and anemia for children and women of the region.’ Regarding the aim of the project Dr Suresh said, ‘ key goal is to develop scalable mass production techniques for Mola seed on a standardized protocol for hatchery based breeding to popularise small indigenous fish for household consumption and income. ‘ . Chief scientist of KVK, Darrang Dr Abdul Hafiz , district fisheries development officer, Darrang, Bipul Khataniar and others also attended the function. A handbook published on the subject for fish growers was also released on the occasion