With Asia’s largest fisheries farm in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district emerging while the best producer of rainbow trout on earth, private farms are taking to trout rearing and finding it commercially viable

The weekend getaway of Kokernag, 22km from Anantnag, is home to Asia’s largest fisheries farm that is emerging as the producer that is best of rainbow trout on the planet.

Spread over 20 hectares, the farm was put up 36 years ago with support through the European Economic Committee. It started with a single hatchery which has now been upgraded to three hatcheries who supply millions of eyed ova and seeds to beneficiaries, including private fish farmers.

Trout farming within the sector that is private introduced by the government in 2009 and has now been a success. At the moment, there are many more than 540 private farms trout that is rearing earning their livelihood in Kokernag.

Just the conditions that are right

The main trout farming project officer at Kokernag, Mohammad Muzaffar Bazaz, says Kashmir has two types of fisheries, warm and water that is cold. Continue reading →