Hyderabad, India. View of Hyderabad cityscape from Golkonda fort walls.
The rural local self-government system of India, known as Panchayati Raj, has announced the inauguration of India's first commercial-scale rainbow trout farm based on a tropical Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS).
In addition to the Smart Green Aquaculture Farm, a Research Institute will be established in Kandukur Mandal, Ranga Reddy District, Telangana, located south of the city of Hyderabad in south-central India.
The Indian aquaculture company Smart Green Aquaculture Limited, which focuses on developing sustainable aquaculture systems, will lead the project. The facility will subsequently be inaugurated by the Union Minister of the Ministries of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, and Panchayati Raj, Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh, also known as Lalan Singh.
The main objective of this initiative is to overcome climatic and geographic limitations when successfully establishing an aquaculture facility. High-value cold-water species, such as rainbow trout, will be able to be farmed year-round in tropical climates.
Additionally, this project will also serve as a training and demonstration center, allowing young people to gain hands-on experience with advanced aquaculture systems, automation, and biosecurity.
According to the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, since 2015, the government has approved or announced cumulative investments totaling 38,572 crore rupees (approximately €3.666 billion) across various programs.
Thanks to these initiatives, an annual production of 14 lakh (1.4 million) rainbow trout seeds has been achieved, and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) under the Vibrant Village Program for the supply of trout.
Finally, the Department of Fisheries of the Government of India is working on the creation and development of cold-water fisheries clusters in Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh.