Shimla, April 30 (IANS) Trout cultivation in Himachal Pradesh is set to get a big boost with the central government deciding to set up a processing unit for the fish in the state, an official said here Saturday.
Brown and rainbow trout varieties are abundant in the state.
‘The National Fisheries Board has accorded approval to set up a trout processing unit at Patlikuhl in Kullu district with an outlay of Rs.2.1 crore,’ a government spokesman said, adding the Indian Agriculture Research Council will collaborate in the project.
The unit would process trout fish on an industrial scale so as to increase its shelf life, the spokesman said.
A 600-km stretch on the Beas, Sutlej and Ravi rivers in the upper Himalayas is the habitat of trout. The state has 81 trout farms, including six that are run by the government, mainly in Kullu and Mandi districts and producing around 60 tonnes of fish annually.
The history of trout in Himachal Pradesh dates back to early 20th century. The then British rulers introduced trout in the rivers here from 1909 to promote angling and fingerlings were released in various streams.
