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Fish farming in paddy field gaining popularity in Kotalipara

Fish cultivators and local fisheries officials releasing fish in a paddy field at Nayakandi village under Kotalipara Upazila in Gopalganj district recently. 	— FE Photo
Fish cultivators and local fisheries officials releasing fish in a paddy field at Nayakandi village under Kotalipara Upazila in Gopalganj district recently. — FE Photo

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GOPALGANJ, Sept 17: Fish farming in paddy field is gaining popularity among the farmers of Kotalipara in the district as it brings financial benefit to farmers recently.
Kotalipara Upazila fisheries office sources said, there are two ways of fish farming in paddy field. Fish culture along with paddy and fish culture before cultivation and after harvesting of paddy.
About 300 farmers in Kotalipara upazila of the district are involved in fish farming like Rui, Katal, Mrigal, Telapia, Shorputi, Silvercarp etc. in the low-laying areas.
Local fisheries office sources said, farmers have cultivated fish above on 1200 hectares of cropland at Kotalipara upazila in the district this year.
Experiencing the financial benefit other farmers also have come forward and are following the same technique of fish farming.
Prashanta Sarker, Upazila Fisheries Officer (UFO), Kotalipara told the FE that fish farming in paddy field has made a new chapter in fisheries sector and it is gaining popularity in this region.
Where fish farmer here are now annually producing about 1100-1200 to tonnes of fish in the paddy fields and it meets the local demand and besides export others parts of country. Not only that fish farming in paddy field also creates employment of rural people and fulfill the demand of nutrition, he added.
Nooru Kazi (50), a farmer of village Nayakandi under Kotaliapara Upazila in Gopalganj, told The FE that there are now annually producing about 1,000 to 1,200 tonnes of fish in the paddy fields here and it meets the local demand and export too.
Some local fish cultivators said, if the department provides supports to the farmers to make the programme a success and if the farmers get easy term loan and fair price of fish food in the market, they will get interest on farming fish in the paddy filed.
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