Handling of fisheries waste in harbours and fish markets will not be a concern for local bodies any more. In a major relief, a technology has been developed by the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT) to address the menace of fisheries waste into fish feeds, thereby providing viable income opportunities.

ICAR-CIFT’s technology will help convert fish waste in to aqua feeds and it was developed with the twin objective of meeting the high demand for fish feed in aquaculture sector and also to do away with existing unhygienic fish waste management practices.

Considering the importance of such a technology in Kerala’s fisheries sector, Matsyafed has signed an MoU with CIFT for taking the technology for production and marketing.

CIFT Director Ravishankar CN handed over the Transfer of Technology and Machinery to the Managing Director of Matsyafed, Dinesan Cheruvat.

Ravishankar urged Matsyafed to upscale the technology dissemination through PMMSY so that a large number of start-ups can have a access to the technology and to take it up as a business venture.

Lauding the contribution of CIFT in developing industry-ready technologies, Dinesan Cheruvat said the institute has been playing a pivotal role in propelling the growth of fisheries sector through its cutting-edge technologies.

Fish waste, which is generally considered as a nuisance by both public and local bodies is an excellent source of protein. It can very well replace fish meal for using as a feed, thereby reducing the production cost of aquaculture in a big way. Keeping pace with the surge in the production of cultured fish in the country, there is a huge demand for cheap protein ingredients for aqua feed.

CIFT has come-up with a simple technology for the conversion of wet market waste directly to aqua and poultry feed rich in protein and minerals. So far, the institute has demonstrated the technology in 40 fish markets in different states. The institute has also developed a machinery line for the feed production, costing around ₹15 lakh, with a capacity to produce 500-kg of feed per day.

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