Farmers interested in rearing fish with good commercial value will have to wait for another eight to ten months for the availability of Pangasius sutchi.
The Department of Fisheries has taken up an experimental project of rearing Pangasius sutchi in the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS)reservoir.
The project is expected to be completed in a few months, after which the fish may be made available to rearers. Pangasius sutchi is an exotic fish imported from Thailand for its high commercial value.
Fisheries officials said if the experimental project becomes successful, then farmers can take up its rearing which can fetch them a good value. “The current market value for each fish is `75-`100. Farmers can rear this fish in small areas and the government will provide subsidies for it,” said an official.
The fish is mostly used for ornamental purposes and displayed in big aquariums in corporate offices. For the first time, the Fisheries Department has taken up fish farming in the KRS reservoir.
The fish is reared extensively in Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and other states.
Farmers in Raichur and Bellary districts also started rearing Pangasius sutchi in small areas.
Rearing of the fish has been taken up in 48 compartments and each has 4,000-5,000 fingerlings.
The fish will be of two colours — black and white. Due its small size, rearing it in a reservoir is not easy.
Officials are using small nets to prevent it from swimming out of the reservoir through canals. The fish, a voracious eater, is fed pelleted food.
According to Department sources, the experimental project should have started in 2011, but due to severe drought and shortage of water in the reservoir, the project was delayed.
Mandya Fisheries Department Assistant Director of Fisheries (ADF) Swetha said Pangasius sutchi production is done under cage culture in the KRS reservoir.