“Assam must become self-reliant in fish production. The fishery sector has immense potential and we must vigorously engage in it to derive maximum benefit. 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 latest scientific technologies for augmenting our production.”
Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said this here today while taking part in a programme to distribute appointment letters to 35 Fishery Development Officers under the Fisheries Department.
Calling on the new appointees to strive hard to enable fishermen and fish producers of the State to lead a life of dignity, Sonowal directed the Fisheries Department to prepare a roadmap for the development of the sector to fulfil the fish requirement of the State without resorting to import.
Hoping that the newly-appointed officers would be able to make positive change in the department by infusing fresh thoughts and knowledge, the Chief Minister urged them to dedicate themselves to the cause of making the State a top fish exporter.
Urging the fish producers to go for value addition of the fish produced in the State to cater to international markets, the Chief Minister appreciated the Fisheries Department for increasing fish production to the tune of 20,000 tonnes in 2017-18. He directed the department to work towards increasing production even further so that fish import can be stopped.
Sonowal also said that if the newly-appointed officers cannot help the fish farmers increase production, then their degrees in fishery sciences would be of little value.
The Chief Minister said that the infinite potential of the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers must be harnessed to achieve fast-paced development of the State and the vast presence of natural water bodies must be properly utilised for developing the fishery sector.
He also called upon the new appointees to stay away from corruption and work for the development of the fishery sector with sincerity.
Fisheries Minister Parimal Suklabaidya, Media Adviser to the CM Hrishikesh Goswami, Legal Adviser to the CM Shantanu Bharali, and Assam Tourism Development Corporation Ltd vice chairman Navadeep Kalita were also present during the programme.
