A WHALE OF A DECISION

Girija Prasad Doley has turned fish farming into a sustainable livelihood model. Starting with borrowed money and a single pond, today he runs a project spanning pisciculture, agriculture and horticulture, says Prasanta Mazumdar

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THE Mishing tribe of Assam is known for its traditional knowledge of fishing, but some are innovative enough to yield results from a fusion of common sense and entrepreneurial skills.

Ten years ago, Girija Prasad Doley (47) from Dhemaji district dug his own land on borrowed funds to make a fish pond with just the ghost of a big idea at the back of his mind. It turned out to be one whale of a move. He bought 4,000 fingerlings and put them in the pond. He got 20 quintals of fish the next year.

He has not looked back since and has turned his 80 bighas of land (one bigha is 14,400 sq ft in Assam) into a sustainable integrated project, combining pisciculture, horticulture and agriculture.

Doley ploughed his field for paddy until 2015, when he conceived the idea of trying his luck in fish farming. He executed the plan in no time by digging about 4 bighas of his land to create a fish pond, using ₹5 lakh borrowed from his friends.

He sold the 20-quintal fish he got the next year at ₹3.6 lakh. He utilised a part of his profit in expanding his fish pond. He has been expanding it every year ever since then. It now stands at 26 bighas.