An enterprising woman farmer has turned adversity into an advantage. Shobha Patil of Kerekanahalli in Afsalpur taluk in Kalaburagi district has successfully taken up fish farming on her five hectares (ha) of barren and saline land.
She had earlier burnt her fingers and lost her investments while trying to retrieve the saline land, which is situated in a slope with the irrigated land on top of it.
Although the ground water-level was high, she could not use the water for irrigation as the land had become unfit for agriculture due to salinity conditions.
What changed her life was the advise from the Fisheries Department to take up fish farming by digging ponds and use the water available in abundance. As the government provided subsidy for constructing ponds under the National Mission for Protein Supplement (NMPS), there was demand for the fish cultivated in these ponds.
Ms. Patil dug up five ponds and filled up water in one of the ponds. Fingerlings of Catla, Rohu, Mriga and common carp were released into the pond.
It will be ready for harvest in eight months and the average income after all the expenditure from one harvest was Rs. 3.5 lakh from each pond. The former Minister and Afzalpur MLA Malikayya Guttedar released fingerlings into the pond. He sad the Fisheries Department should train farmers to take up fish farming in the district to retrieve saline land.
