Rising feed prices leave Tiruppur aqua farmers in lurch

TIRUPPUR: Any recipe made of freshwater fish makes for a tempting and delectable meal. So is the curry made of Murrel fish (Veral Meen), a freshwater fish, also called Mudfish. But several aqua farmers are no longer keen to grow this particular breed as the feed cost is high.

Kangaraja, a farmer in Palladam, told TNIE, "I used to breed Murrel fish (Veral Meen) in a water tank in the coconut farm and feed them dry fish in the initial stage. But the cost of dry fish was high and I had to buy 10-15 kilos a day. So, I shifted to a fish feed sold by a private company. Again, I had to spend a lot and eventually bid goodbye to aquaculture."

Rajesh, a farmer in Palladam said, "Murrel fish comes in medium and large size and fetches a good profit. The growth of Murrel fish is slated to be between 6-7 months. A large water tank spreading over 1,000 sq. ft can fetch over 2,000-3,000 kilograms of fish. For normal freshwater fish, the feed is mostly rice bran, groundwater cake and other waste from coconuts and barks etc. These cost just Rs 700- 1,200 per month for a large pond. For 6-7 months, the cost of feed would be around Rs 10,000. But, the feed for the Murrel fish must always be a non-vegetarian feed which costs us more."

He pointed out, “Most of the farmers buy these feeds in large bags (25 kilograms) costing Rs 1,200 per kilogram and for a month it costs Rs 6,000 (4-5 bags) for feeding Mudfish. After a period of 6-7 months, the total money spent on feed would be Rs 40,000- Rs 50,000. Also, generally after four months, the fish needs more feed which does not suit our budget. Because of this reason, many farmers have quit aqua farming.”

Tiruppur Fishmarket (Thennampalayam) Association - president Parthasarathy said, "There is a good demand for freshwater Murrel fish (Veral Meen) in Tiruppur and Coimbatore. The current price of freshwater fish is Rs 700-850 per kilogram in Tiruppur. As only a few people are interested in growing fish, we are forced to get saltwater (sea) Murrel fish from other districts such as Thoothukudi and Kanya Kumari which cost around Rs 450-600 per kilogram. But, the farmers are hesitant to grow this fish in their ponds because of the feed cost."

When contacted, Additional Director - Fisheries Department (Tiruppur-Erode Division) S Kolanjinathan told TNIE, "This fish is carnivorous and needs non-vegetarian food. As it is grown in freshwater, farmers have to offer feed. This could pose a problem for them when the fish grows bigger.”

He added that the department is ready to help the farmers and will be visiting the tanks to offer all kinds of scientific help. “Besides, as per National Agriculture Development Mission 2021-22, a subsidy of up to 40 per cent will be provided to the farmers who breed Murrel fish in over 1,000 sq. feet,” Kolanjinathan pointed out.