By Md Aynal Haque

RAJSHAHI, Feb 1, 2023 (BSS) - Ornamental fish farming has become the dependable means of bolstering entrepreneurship as many youths have transformed them into successful entrepreneurs after the best uses of the potential sector in the region during the last couple of years.

Nahid Hasan, 23, a resident of Afipara village under Paba upazila in the district, has become an icon in the field of farming and rearing of ornamental fish together with making him financially solvent.

He understood the fact of making his business profitable and sustainable after the best uses of modern technologies and turned him into a successful entrepreneur.

A third year honours student in the Department of Botany at Rajshahi Government City College, Hasan began his venture in 2019. Initially, he brought five pairs of Guppy fish at a cost of Taka 500 and kept them in a small pot. The fishes give birth to some fry.
 
Now, he is operating a medium-level ornamental fish farm through applying the biofloc method successfully.

He has around 5,000 fishes of different pieces, including white platinum moli, Swordtail black mould, Montail white mould, White balloon molly, Montail black mould, Gabi, Dambu Mosaic, Red Toxic and Angles, at present.

Nahid said he sells a pair of Montail at Taka 250-300, black molly Taka 80-120, swordtail Taka 100-150, dump mosaic guppy Taka 300-350 and goldfish Taka 300-350 on an average.

He has been earning around Taka 10,000-12,000 per month on an average for the last couple of months raising his assets to worth around Taka two lakh.

Explaining about the profit being obtained from the business he said demands of their fishes are gradually mounting as many of the fancy people are seen interested in rearing ornamental fishes in aquariums and other tubs in residents and business places.

Prior to this, Nahid was imparted a capacity building training on various need-oriented issues, including good aquaculture practice, feeding technique and safe input uses, post harvest management and environment-friendly handling, for making his business successful.

A demonstration tank was also set on his small ornamental fish farm. He was given the support with intervention of the Sustainable Enterprise Project (SEP).

Ashrai, a non-government development organisation, has been implementing the SEP in Paba and Mohanpur upazila of Rajshahi and Sadar upazila of Chapainawabganj districts supported by Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) and World Bank.

Apart from Nahid, 250 other youths have become successful in this field with interventions of the SEP.

SEP Documentation Officer Syed Tanvir Islam told BSS that substantial and sustainable promotion of climate resilient farming can be the effective means of boosting fish production through facing the adverse impact of climate change in the region.

For the last couple of years, conventional fish farming has been affected due to the climate change impact in the region, including its vast Barind tract. So, there is a need to promote climate resilient fish farming to meet the gradually mounting protein demands.

Around 300 farmers were imparted training on good aquaculture practice for environmental certification, while 150 others were given training on feeding technique and safe input uses and 75 on post harvest management for product certification.

He mentioned many of the grassroots people have become accustomed to environment-friendly best practices in terms of fish farming with intervention of the three-year SEP.

Climate-resilient technology has become a boon for many of the fish farmers as they are getting extra profit from their respective fish farming ventures despite the adverse impact of climate change in the region.

As a whole, the SEP is intended to promote drought-resilient fish farming technology, besides increasing fish production and expanding environment-friendly fish farming practices.