Empowering Women: Tribal Women in Tripura Thrives in Fish Farming

Jaminisari Molsom, a 45-year-old resident of Tripura's Gomati district, experienced a significant transformation in her life when a check dam was built, creating a vast water body. The construction of the dam aimed to provide sustainable livelihood opportunities for the local tribal population and enhance fish production in the region.

Molsom, a member of a tribal community, used to practice shifting cultivation by growing crops on the slopes of hills located in the Gomati district. However, Molsom has since settled in a village situated at the foot of the hills and now supports her family of five by fishing in a recently formed water body.

The Forest Department of Tripura initiated a JICA project to establish a vast water body exceeding one hectare in the forest area. This endeavor aims to generate livelihood opportunities, particularly for the tribal communities residing in the region, and enhance fish production through the implementation of advanced fish farming techniques.

Molsom expressed her immense happiness upon finding an alternative source of livelihood for her family. This new opportunity has enabled them to abandon their physically taxing nomadic lifestyle as "Jhumiya" cultivators and settle down for a better life. She has become a member of the Khumpui Self Help Group (SHG), where she now cultivates fish in a nearby lake alongside nine other tribal women from the village. This collaborative effort has yielded a substantial income of over Rs five lakh per year for the group.

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"We are now in a position to rear pigs, cultivate vegetables on our land, and engage in fish farming, which will enable us to live a worry-free life," she said.

In a written statement, Dr. Avinash M Kanfade, who serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Project Director of the Tripura JICA Project, expressed, "The construction of check dams in the forests of Tripura as part of the Tripura JICA Project has resulted in the creation of numerous water bodies. By effectively utilizing these bodies of water, it is possible to significantly increase the production of fish while also providing opportunities for forest fringe dwellers to generate their livelihood. This could lead to a shift away from traditional practices such as jhuming, which harm the forest, and towards pisciculture as a more sustainable livelihood option for forest-dependent communities.

Based on the information provided by the department, it appears that the overall fish demand in the state is 96,454 MT while the total fish production is 72,273 MT, resulting in a deficit of 24,181 MT.

Bappi Basfore, the Superintendent of Fisheries, who is currently working on this project as a deputation from the state fisheries department, stated that the residents of the state have one of the highest rates of fish consumption in the country. The per capita fish consumption in the state is 26.26 kg, whereas the per capita fish production is only 19.47 kg per year, resulting in a deficit. Therefore, the primary objective of this project is to bridge this gap between the consumption and production of fish in the state.

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According to his statement, the state government has decided to build a minimum of 430 check dams. This move is expected to create a water stock area of approximately 500 hectares and result in the production of 1,400 metric tons of fish annually. The estimated cost for this initiative is at least Rs 2,240 lakh per year.

Basfore expressed that the primary objective of this project is to assist the tribal communities in transitioning from the practice of shifting cultivation (also known as Jhuming) to settled cultivation. Additionally, the project aims to boost the state's fish production to a level of self-sufficiency and create employment opportunities for around 4,300 indigenous individuals who are members of 430 Self Help Groups (SHGs).

One of the primary challenges facing Tripura's fish farming sector is the scarcity of suitable water bodies for fish cultivation. Therefore, the first step towards increasing fish production in Tripura is to identify suitable locations for fish farming and create new water bodies by constructing small dams or reservoirs. In addition, existing water bodies such as ponds and lakes can be improved by removing silt, deepening, and expanding them to make them suitable and productive for fish farming.

The Tripura JICA Project has already built several check dams and created water bodies. Among these water areas, approximately 500 hectares (comprising 430 water bodies) can be used for scientific fish farming. Basfore stated that officials are providing training and financial assistance to forest dwellers in the state to adopt sustainable fish farming practices as Income Generating Activities, thus ensuring a sustainable livelihood.

According to Chandan Pandey, the communication officer of the project, the government is currently working towards establishing a proficient supply chain that would link fish farmers to markets. This would entail setting up essential infrastructure such as all-weather roads, vehicles for transporting fish, ice blocks for preserving fish during transportation over long distances, and cold storage facilities. Furthermore, the government is also looking to establish quality standards for fish products.

-PTI 

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