MANGALDAI: ‘World Fish’ - a renowned international research organization– has taken a significant step towards promoting sustainable nutrition and addressing malnutrition in Assam by organizing a comprehensive ‘Field Level Training Program on Mass Seed Production of Small Indigenous Fish Species’. This two-day workshop, conducted in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries, Assam was organized at Mangaldai from September 2 to September 5.
The event garnered substantial participation from over 80 key stakeholders, including fish farmers, hatchery operators, seed growers, and district fisheries officials. The primary focus of the training revolved around Small Indigenous Fish Species (SIS), which are endowed with remarkable nutritional potential. The consumption of SIS holds the promise of mitigating malnutrition challenges in nutritionally disadvantaged areas. However, despite their historical abundance and affordability, some SIS species are facing increasing scarcity and costliness, putting them at risk of becoming endangered.
World Fish is actively implementing a project titled ‘Taking Nutrition-Sensitive Carp-SIS Polyculture Technology to Scale’ across the Indian states of Odisha and Assam. This initiative, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), places a crucial emphasis on developing scalable mass production techniques for Mola seed, grounded in a standardized protocol for hatchery-based breeding. Under this project, first breakthrough of mola breeding was accomplished in collaboration with the project’s partner hatchery of Biswa Jyoti Sarma, who generously provided his hatchery facilities located at village Choto Nagaon near Mangaldai.
Bipul Khataniar, District Fisheries Development Officer (DFDO) of Darrang district, extended a warm welcome to the participants as the chief guest while Dr Sourabh Kr Dubey of World Fish emphasized World Fish’s pioneering role in introducing nutrition-sensitive approaches to aquaculture. Dr. Dubey expressed optimism regarding Assam’s potential, with its abundant beels, ponds, and aquatic resources, to thrive in SIS cultivation.
Dr Sanjay Sarma, Fisheries Coordinator of the World Bank’s APART initiative, underscored the significance of Mola locally known as ‘Mowa’ in Assam, as a champion species for nutrition-sensitive approaches. He emphasized that Mola is exceptionally rich in essential micronutrients such as calcium, zinc, and vitamins A and B12, making it a vital contributor to recommended dietary micronutrient intakes, particularly for women and children. Dr. Sarma emphasized that this advancement would accelerate the adoption of nutrition-sensitive carp-mola polyculture technology, ultimately enhancing food and nutrition security across Assam’s villages. Kalpajit Gogoi, the Technical Coordinator, also took part in the workshop.
Also Watch: