Adding another product to South Punjab's food basket.

Multan -- After proving to be potential land for cash crops, South Punjab is also emerging as a future hub for fisheries with around 20 hatcheries already functioning in the region.

Like other parts of the main Punjab province, the South Punjab region is also known as food basket for the country producing huge quantity of food crops, fruits, vegetables, milk and meat.

Harnessing the fisheries potential besides other productions of human use, would not only help address the issue of food security but also save precious foreign exchange.

According to the Fisheries Department, out of 20 fish hatcheries operational in the region, seven are in public sector and 13 owned by private people. Fish farms are located at an area of 38,000 acres and over 2805 registered farmers were working to promote fish besides number of unregistered fish farmers.

'We have started seven different programs to promote fisheries and around 20,000 fish seed were released in river Indus near Taunsa Barrage,' informed Director General (DG) Fisheries South Punjab Dr Zahid Sharif.

'During previous years, we also released 664,000 fish seed into the river as we plan to continue it in future as well,' he stated. 'Promoting this culture means better earning and good health as variety of nutrients in fish save human beings from multiple diseases.'

Besides this effort, the fisheries department is promoting fish cage clusters with 400 clusters already operational as farmers are being facilitated to install more fish cage clusters in different rivers.

'Fish cage culture is a modern concept of farming wherein cages are installed in freshwater,' Dr Zahid stated. Exactly 5000 cages are being installed across the Punjab province and the federal and provincial governments are providing subsidies on this project.'

He informed that under the Rs 1775 million project, the Federal and the Punjab governments are offering 60 and 40 percent shares respectively. 'Around 300 cages have gone operational in South Punjab with 200 fish cages installed at Ghazi Ghat.'

Dr Zahid said 100 fish cages are operational at Mailsi Siphon and work on another 100 is in progress as 80 per cent expenditures on installation of these cages' are provided by the government and the farmers share is just 20 percent.

He said three diagnostic laboratories have been established to facilitate the farmers while mobile vans of the Fisheries department also visit farms to analyze and address their issues.

He also mentioned to...