LAHORE: The Punjab Fisheries Department has purchased 60-acre land in Bhaseen area of Lahore at a cost of Rs14 million to establish a hatchery.
Fisheries Department Director General Iftikhar Ahmed Qureshi said that Rs632 million would be spent on establishment of new hatcheries and nurseries to meet the growing demand for fish seed in the province. He said surveys were underway in other districts to find suitable plots of land for the purpose.
He was speaking at a meeting to review ongoing development projects of the department. Fisheries DG said five nurseries would be set up under the project in the next fiscal year in Pakpattan, Mandi Bahauddin, Narowal, Chiniot and Nankana Sahib districts. He said each nursery would be spread over five acres.
He said he hoped that once the hatchery and the nurseries were functional, they would help the department solve problems faced by fish farmers across the province.
Qureshi said the government was also considering a proposal to establish fish hatcheries and nurseries in areas where there was no agriculture. He said a comprehensive plan had been devised for the purpose which was expected to cost the provincial exchequer around Rs165 million. He said that under the proposal a fish seed hatchery would be established in Rajanpur district.
