Farmer in Basapur turns barren land into brimming ponds for pisciculture

Basapur was one of the backward villages in Mundargi but the rural place is now changing and farmers are also showing interest to adopt new agricultural techniques.
Basapur farmer Hanumantappa Nagar giving foods to fishes.
Basapur farmer Hanumantappa Nagar giving foods to fishes.

GADAG: A farmer in Basapur of Mundargi has turned his barren land into ponds and started pisciculture. This is the first time Mundargi taluk where land used for stone crushing purposes is turned into five small ponds where 25 lakhs small fishes are there.

The land is not fertile, but 57-year old Hanumantappa did not leave it, he met experts and decided to do something unique.

Fisheries department staff are now guiding Hanumantappa Nagar. He also made some baskets with mirrors to save fish from birds. Many farmers from the surrounding district are now visiting Basapur as it is one of the biggest pisciculture projects in the district.

Basapur was one of the backward villages in Mundargi but the rural place is now changing and farmers are also showing interest to adopt new agricultural techniques.

When Hanumantappa's land stone crushing work stopped due to some reasons, he showed it to land experts who suggested he go for pisciculture. Fisheries department officials visited his place and trained him. Now the man knows how to feed all fishes and protect them.

"When I was suggested for pisciculture, it was a new thing to me but I was happy as I wanted to do something different from others. I got training and installed a borewell and started fish farming. But birds started coming here to eat fish. A bird colloquially called kokkara goes inside water and eats them. Hence I met some experts and made a mirror basket that flows in a pond. Its reflection avoids birds. Now I feed a powder mixture made of paddy and others and give food to fishes one time a day. I am also getting a good income. Farmers from other districts are also coming here to see as it is a dry place in Mundargi taluk," Hanumantappa Nagar said.

An official from the Fisheries department of Gadag said, "We have trained some farmers in all taluks to go for fish farming but Mundargi taluk Basapur is a big lake of 1 acre and 8 guntas. Nagar the owner of that land is interested and we encourage more farmers to do pisciculture."

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