Earning 1.5 Crores from Rohu Fish Farming: A Success Story of a Fish Farmer in India

It is possible to produce fish for human consumption via commercial fish farming. Throughout the globe, commercial fish farming is a lucrative business venture. Fish is in great demand as a food and protein source, and as the world’s population grows, so does the price of fish and fish-related items. The coasts of coastal nations are the best places to start a fish farming enterprise. For many people throughout the globe, but particularly in India, fish farming is their only means of making a living. Let’s check a way of earning 1.5 crores from Rohu fish farming.

Indians and Southeast Asians like Rohu, a freshwater fish native to India and other parts of the globe. Rohu fish farming is one of the lucrative fish cultivation ventures. It is common in India and other parts of the world, notably in Southeast Asia, to consume Rohu. Rui, Ruee, and Tapra are different names for this fish species. The Rohu fish is classified as a member of the family Cyprinidae and the genus Labeo.

Foodies worldwide love rohu, and it’s easy to see why: it tastes great and is in high demand. Farmers can make a good living from Rohu fish farming, provided they use good farm management techniques. In South India, this fish is often fried and eaten as a celebratory dish. Rohu and Catla fish have a striking resemblance in shape and size, making them easy to confuse.

What are the advantages of commercial fish farming?

The commercial fish farming industry produces enormous fish in response to consumer demand. A commercial fish farm may be able to fill in the gaps in the market when catching fish in the wild is not possible. Excellent job prospects are available in the aquaculture business. Fishers don’t need to catch large numbers of wild fish to grow them in tanks until they’re ready to be sold or sold on the market. The preservation of natural ecosystems is facilitated by commercial fish farming as a consequence of this.

It is healthier and more delicious to eat farm-raised fish species than wild-caught. A wide range of nutrition and protein-enriched meals or pellets are often given to fish in commercial fish farming operations. As a consequence, farm-raised fish are more nutritious than wild-caught fish. All around the globe, there is a wide variety of fish. Consequently, you have more freedom in selecting the fish species you wish to produce.

In case you missed it: Rohu Fish Farming Project Report, Economics of Rohu

A fish market has already been set up for you since fish is a popular meal in many countries. Moreover, you need not worry about where you’ll be able to market them. Fish farming can be started on a small or big scale, depending on your resources. Bank loans are also an option if you don’t have enough money to create your own business. Even small-scale fish farming in tanks or ponds can be a way to meet your family’s nutritional needs.

Earning 1.5 crores from Rohu fish farming

The success story of Mr. Trimurthulu

Thrimurthulu is a farmer in the Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh. He has been an agricultural farmer from the start; he used to cultivate different vegetables on his 5 acres farm. On the other hand, his elder brother, Mr. Thirupathi, cultivated fish in his ponds. Due to the sudden demise of his brother, Mr. Thrimurthulu had to take care of Mr. Thrirupathi’s fish farm. He didn’t know about the farm initially, but he knew it was a high investment business since his brother used to cultivate fish in an 85-acre huge pond.

Even though he faced some issues after taking up his fish farm due to his inexperience in the field, as his relatives and family members guided him towards the business, he never lost hope. It’s been five years since Mr. Thrimurthulu took over his brother’s fish farm business. He has learned all the techniques used to cultivate fish and is currently earning huge profits from the fish farm. Let us get into the details of Mr. Thrimurthulu’s fish farm.

Pond details of Mr. Thrimurthulu

Mr. Thrimurthulu says that the pond he uses to cultivate the fish is nearly 85 acres. This is a huge pond to produce the fish, and he says it has been on a lease from the start. The lease of his fish farm is nearly 65,000 rupees per year. He says that their family has cultivated fish in this pond for a decade.

In case you missed it: Rohu Fish Farming Information Guide

Farmers have to keep in mind that the more the size of the pond, the more is the quality of the fish and the more is the profit. On average, it takes nearly six months or more to build such a huge pond, but it is better to take it on lease. The site construction cost will be huge, which will result in a high one-time investment cost.

Fish selection according to Mr. Thrimurthulu.

On his fish farm, Mr. Thrimurthulu cultivates rohu fish. Rohu is freshwater fish, and since the pond is near the Krishna river, the freshwater is accessible abundantly to his farm. Therefore, his farm and the whole Krishna and Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh are suitable for cultivating freshwater fish, says Mr. Thrimurthulu. He chose this type of fish because there is a massive demand for rohu fish meat.

You can also earn huge profits by exporting this fish to other countries. Also, rohu is better suitable for the vast ponds since we can’t get better quality rohu fish in small ponds. To gain nutritious meat, rohu fish must be grown in huge ponds. Also, they are a bit easy to maintain in huge ponds compared to other fish.

Process of Rohu fish cultivation according to Mr. Thrimiurthulu

Before cultivating fish in your pond, you have to let it dry for a few weeks. After it is completely dried, the water from the freshwater canal is drained into his pond, says Mr. Thrimurthulu. Soon after filing your pond, you have to treat it with cow dung, jaggery, and probiotics. Once you finish this process, leave your pond for a few days. After this, you have to send your water sample for a pH test. Finally, you have to maintain a specific ph value to cultivate fish in the pond.

The ideal pH value of the water in your pond should be between 7.5 and 8.5. this can help your fish grow better and quicker. Mr. Thrimurthulu stocks nearly 3000 rohu fish per acre on his fish farm. This is the suitable stocking rate one has to maintain when cultivating the rohu fish in huge ponds. Since rohu is a freshwater fish, the water should be changed every time after harvesting the crops. Using the same water from the previous crop for the next crop can result in a high number of diseases and reduce the growth rate of the rohu fish. This can hugely affect your profit.

When it comes to freshwater fish culture, water availability is a must. On his farm, Mr. Thrimurthulu, if he has an abundant water supply, uses 6 to 7 inch fish for seed supply. However, if there is a bit of freshwater scarcity, he uses 250-gram fish as seed supply. He buys this from the private fish seed hatcheries. Since he buys this seed from fish hatcheries, he advises farmers to choose the quality fish seeds.

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You have to gather a small team to select from hatcheries. This group should conduct various tests on seed in incubators and select seed suitable for cultivation in your pond. The 250-gram fish seed is known as a zero-point seed. Using the zero-point fish seed to cultivate your fish farm takes nearly 5 to 6 months to harvest the crop. If the seed you choose is a normal one, 6 to 7 inches, it takes almost 8 to 9 months to harvest the crop.

While growing the fish, you have to use probiotics at least once a month regularly. This is because the fish excreta can settle in the pond, and as time passes, it can degrade and release harmful substances into the pond. By using probiotics, we can take care of this. So you have to estimate the number of probiotics you want to use in your pond and use it accordingly. This can make your fish less prone to diseases. Mr. Thrimurthulu uses 10 kg per acre of probiotics on his fish farm. He uses oil extracted bran, soya flour, and cotton flour as feed.

These ingredients are used in proper proportions to feed the fish. To decrease feed consumption, he also uses cow dung and urea to provide necessary nutrition for the fish. Once your fish uses these raw materials as nutrients, they will try to eat less. This can lessen your feed cost. Remember that, since most of the investment goes to feed cost, the more you try to reduce your feed cost, the more is the chance for your profit.

Also, providing feed is one of the most complex parts of such huge ponds, says Mr. Thrimurthulu. First, you have to estimate the meal required, which is enough for the fish in your pond. If you give them more than sufficient, then the fish won’t eat it, and that waste feed degrades in water, releasing harmful substances into it. And if the given meal is low, it can affect the rate of fish growth. You usually have to feed 3 to 5 percent of a fish’s weight for the whole pond in the morning.

Mr. Thrimurthulu uses nearly 9 tonnes of feed per batch on his farm. Mr. Thrimurthulu typically provides his fish with feed in the morning, and if they can finish the meal by afternoon, he gives them additional feed. To know about their feed requirements, he usually provides some feed by spreading them over the water, and he uses plastic gunny bags to give the additional feed. Then, he asks his laborers to fill the plastic gunny bags with the feed, make a hole underneath each gunny back, and tie them to the wooden poles he installed on his farm.

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If the fish completes the bag by afternoon, he provides the additional feed by spreading the meal over the water in his pond. Also, you can see rohu fish coming up for air when there is a decline in oxygen in water; in this case, you have to immediately take care of the situation by treating your water with the required substances.

For such huge ponds, laborers are an essential requirement. It would help if you had many laborers for feeding the fish, mainly at harvesting. Also, you need to educate these laborers with basic knowledge of your farm, so in case of any emergency, they will be able to care for it in your absence. It would help if you also had small boats to feed fish and take other things in your pond. Mr. Thrimurthulu has eight ships to take care of his farm.

Marketing and financial analysis of Mr. Thrimurthulu’s farm

It would help if you did not feed your rohu fish before the day of harvesting, says Mr. Thrimurthulu. This process can help eliminate any waste present in the fishes’ stomachs. He used 6-inch fish seed at the start, so now, the crop is ready to harvest after nine months. He says that he gets nearly 3.2 tons of yield per acre at harvest. He sells this yield of rohu fish at 120 rupees per kg as this is a heavy investment; instead of listing all the investment costs, he said it is better to assume another simple way.

He said it cost him nearly 60 to 70 rupees per kg to cultivate the fish, so even if we take an average of 65 rupees per kg of fish as an investment. His total yield for 85 acres is nearly 269 tonnes. That means his total investment per crop is nearly 1,74,85,000 rupees. And his income is almost 3,22,80,000 rupees. From this, if we erase the investment, Mr. Thrimurthulu earns nearly 1,47,95,000 rupees as profit.

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Hence from the above calculation, we conclude that Mr. Thrimurthulu earns about 1.5 crores per batch. The period of one set is nine months, and if we assume that pond preparation takes nearly two months. So we can take this profit per batch as a profit per year. In this way, Mr. Thrimurthulu earns about 1.5 crores per year from his rohu fish farm.

He suggests young farmers enter the fish farming industry and advises them to start small till they gain some experience. Then, once you think you have adequate knowledge about fish farming, you can try to enter high investment fish farming ponds. He also says the rohu fish has a constant demand in the market, and farmers can earn huge profits from this industry.

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