When 31-year-old Dinil Prasad of Pinarayi, Kannur in Kerala voluntarily retired from the Indian Army after five years of service, his only mission was to settle down at his native place and do something of his own to earn an income.
Though he has an ITI Mechanical background, he took a bold step into the world of aquaculture inspired by watching a YouTube video of a couple of women in Ernakulam who are into caged fish farming.
He reached out to Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) in Kochi which provided him the required support to start a caged fish farm in the Anjarakandy river near his village.
Today, five years later, Dinil is a successful entrepreneur, earning lakhs annually through caged fish farming. “Apart from caged fish farming, I also have a pond where I breed fingerlings of different varieties like tilapia, catla, and rohu. The major advantage of cage fish farming in a river is that it requires less input cost, lower maintenance, and yields faster results,” Dinil told “Open Digest.”
The encouraging profits from caged fish farming have prompted him to expand operations and also launch a technical support wing to help those interested in getting into cage fish farming. “Anyone can start caged fish farming. You don’t need to pay any lease amount to start cage fish farming in rivers or lakes,” he added.
Dinil has partnered with local fish markets, and direct sales to consumers have ensured steady demand and maximum profits.
What started as an experiment is now a thriving business, generating a steady income for Dinil who has also trained several young entrepreneurs in caged fish farming, helping them start their own ventures. Dinil, who specifically focuses on farming pearl spot fish and sea bass (Kalanji), says that these two fishes are in high demand in the market that ensure good returns every three to four months.
