CM Sarbananda Sonowal Attends Fish Food Festival

GUWAHATI: “Fishery sector has immense potential and we must vigorously engage in it for deriving maximum benefits. Assam is blessed with abundant water resources and we have the capacity to become the biggest producer and exporter of fish in the country. But for that, we must adopt the latest scientific technologies for augmenting our production.” Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today said while taking part in the Fish Food Festival organised by Assam Fisheries Development Corporation Limited in cooperation with National Fisheries Development Board at Brindaban Garden, Zoo Road in the city.

Appreciating the Fishery Department for being able to increase the state’s fish production by 20,000 metric tonne in 2017-18 from the previous year, the chief minister said that Chief Minister’s Samagra Grammya Unnayan Yojna (CMSGUY), a scheme to transform the rural economy with a budget outlay of Rs 33,000 crore, has also kept fishery as a priority area. The infinite potential of Brahmaputra and Barak rivers must be harnessed to achieve fast-paced development of state and vast presence of natural water-bodies must be properly utilised for growing the fishery sector, Sarbananda Sonowal said.

Referring to the Act East Policy of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi led central government which has opened up newer vistas of connectivity with South East Asia, Sonowal urged the youth of the state take up fishery as a profession and contribute to the cause of making the state self-reliant in fish production. Sarbananda Sonowal also said that too many movements and agitations are hampering the growth of the state and he urged the people to start a positive movement to develop the state at a rapid pace.

Reiterating that those indigenous people of the state should not feel threatened by external threats as the government is not going to allow anyone to harm their interest, the chief minister urged the people to keep their faith on the government and maintain harmony. Saying that countries like Vietnam have been able to sell fish imported from India at a higher rate by catering to the needs of the European consumers, Sonowal urged the people to adopt such practices to derive maximum benefit from the fish produced in the state.

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