Dharwad farmer ventures into crab cultivation

DHARWAD: It is common to see farmers taking up pisciculture, bee keeping, dairying, poultry farming and sheep rearing along with agriculture to augment their income. But a farmer in Kalghatagi taluk of Dharwad district has taken a up a new venture - crab cultivation which is attracting other farmers.
Sachin Bhusad, who came to know about the crab cultivation through a friend, underwent three-day training at Latur in Maharastra. Six months ago, he started the new experiment in a farm pond in the farm owned by SN Uddanavar between Dhumwad and Jammihal in Kalghatgi taluk.
Crab cultivation is a capital light venture yeidling high profit and requires less space and man power. Sachin said that after learning about crab cultivation, he constructed a 55x55 feet pond. He released 1,500 crabs of Rock and Mud breed in the pond and of them 60% are male and the rest are female. Due to reproduction, the number of crabs has gone up to 2,000 now.
The lifespan of a crab is two-and-half years. Though a pair can lay 100 eggs per year, only abut 25 to 30 crabs survive, Sachin said. They are fed with fish, chicken waste and meat. Each crab weighs half kg and fetches Rs 250-300.
Sachin said he had invested Rs 2.5 lakh and sell the crabs once in three months. The profit will be known after a year. There is great demand for crabs from hotels and restaurants. Crabs have vitamins, minerals and Omega 3 fatty acids which are good for human health, he said.
Dharwad ZP CEO Suresh Itnal said the government will provide all necessary help to farmers going for new experiments in a bid to enhance their income. Sachin said facilities should be created for crab cultivation in natural lakes and streams so that more farmers will venture into it. Several farmers have already visited Sachin’s pond and are learning about crab culture.