Ensure wider market access for Bihar fish farmers: CM

Patna: Chief minister Samrat Choudhary on Sunday directed officials to ensure that Bihar’s fish farmers get wider market access, with their produce reaching markets in Nepal and across all neighbouring Indian states. He also ordered a major scale-up in fish output, setting a target to raise annual production from the current 9 lakh metric tonnes to 25 lakh metric tonnes.

Choudhary issued these instructions while chairing a review meeting of the dairy, fisheries and animal resources department at Lok Sewak Avas, (CM’s residence) here. The meeting assessed ongoing schemes, implementation progress and upcoming priorities for the department.

Along with fisheries, Choudhary asked officials to significantly increase milk production through the Bihar State Milk Co-Operative Federation (COMFED). He set a goal to expand daily milk production and procurement from 40 lakh litres per day to 1.25 crore litres per day. Emphasising the govt’s welfare agenda, he said the administration is moving quickly to raise the income of farmers and livestock rearers and to promote self-employment opportunities in rural areas.

Choudhary also instructed the department to supply improved-breed animals—cows, buffaloes and goats—to livestock farmers through COMFED. He said women livestock farmers should be given priority in the distribution to strengthen household incomes and support women-led livelihoods.

During the review, department secretary Shirshat Kapil Ashok made a detailed presentation to the CM, outlining key schemes currently being implemented and the department’s future action plan to meet the expanded production and market targets.

The meeting was attended by the CM’s principal secretary Deepak Kumar; secretaries Lokesh Kumar Singh and Sanjay Kumar Singh; cooperative department secretary Dharmendra Singh, and other senior officials from the dairy, fisheries and animal resources department.