March 29, 2007
 

India inaugurates National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture

India has inaugurated its first National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture (NaCSA), in Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh.

The Union Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh said it would empower farmers by extending necessary extension services and keeping them abreast with latest advancements in the field.

The Union Minister of State for Defence Pallamraju stressed the need for adopting scientific farming techniques so as to achieve better production and earn good profits.

The new centre is an outcome of the recent MPEDA/NACA cooperative project on shrimp disease control and promotion of better management practices.

The centre aims to enable aquaculture farmers to adopt sustainable and environmentally friendly farming practices to produce quality and safe aquatic products such as shrimps, scampi and fish for export and domestic markets.

NaCSA would facilitate links between aquaculture stakeholders and strengthen aquaculture farmers to organize into self-help groups, or farmer societies.

The approach would strengthen farmers problem solving, planning and management abilities and allow for the adoption and development of new technologies.