Hyderabad: Minister for Fisheries and Animal Husbandry Vakiti Srihari urged Telangana to build a clear brand for fish production. He made the case while leading a fish seedling distribution drive at Dharmasagar reservoir in Hanamkonda district.
The Congress government, he said, had set aside Rs 122 crore for the Fisheries Department this year. Under the programme, officials distributed 84 crore fish seedlings and 10 crore prawn seedlings at full subsidy across 26,000 water bodies.
Srihari said the department will install signboards at each reservoir and pond. These boards will show the number of seedlings released and list contact numbers of fisheries officials and local police.
He pressed to popularise fish on par with chicken and mutton. Moreover, the department would work with other wings to include fish dishes in the mid-day meal scheme where rules and supply allow.
The Minister also announced a fish seedlings centre for the Station Ghanpur constituency to support local stocking, training and logistics. At the event, officials outlined timelines for releases and farmer outreach. Coordination teams, they added, would track survival rates and report every week.
Government push to scale up Telangana fish production
Srihari said branding could widen market access and raise incomes for inland fishers. Telangana fish production, he noted, would gain from steady quality, open data and better retail points. Therefore, he asked district units to publish stocking figures and helpline numbers.
The drive at Dharmasagar drew cooperative leaders and fishermen societies from nearby mandals. Officers said the signage plan will standardise data across reservoirs and help with enforcement. Additionally, they said prawn stocking would be taken up where water quality allows. The programme stayed focused on production support and market growth