Agartala, May 18: In a major step toward making the Northeast self-reliant in fish production, Union Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh) on Sunday announced the sanction of four Integrated Aquaparks for the region, including one in Tripura’s Unakoti district headquarters, Kailashahar.
Speaking at the virtual foundation stone laying ceremony of the Aquapark and the inauguration of Tripura’s Fish Festival, Singh said the other three parks will be established in Assam, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh. These are among 11 Integrated Aquaparks sanctioned under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) across the country.
Highlighting the region’s high fish consumption and production potential, Singh assured full central support to make Tripura self-sufficient in both fish and milk production.
Tripura’s ARD and Fisheries Minister Sudhangshu Das revealed that the Centre has sanctioned ₹42.5 crore for the first phase of the Kailashahar Aquapark, which has an estimated cost of ₹100 crore. The park aims to produce 3,000–5,000 metric tonnes of fish annually and will support processing, storage, and marketing infrastructure.
Das pointed out that Tripura currently produces 85,000 MT of fish against an annual demand of 1.17 lakh MT, leading to dependency on imports from other states and Bangladesh. The Aquapark is expected to significantly reduce this gap and create local employment.
Designed on a hub-and-spoke model, the Aquapark will include hatcheries, feed mills, cold storage, training centers, and marketing support, especially benefiting women and youth.
Union Minister of State George Kurian and Social Welfare Minister Tinku Roy also attended the event. Beneficiaries received Kisan Credit Cards and sanction orders, while top-performing cooperatives, FFPOs, and startups were felicitated for their contributions to the fisheries sector.
