Fisheries Minister S. Appala Raju has said that artificial enhancement of crude protein value of fish feed is a menace that needs to be curbed as it results in poor feed conversion.
This is because urea, or some indigestible proteins are blended with the fish feed to improve its value.
Keeping this in view, the government framed the AP Fish Feed (Quality Control) Bill to crack down on those resorting to the practice that was harmful to the fisheries sector, the Minister said after the Bill was passed in the Assembly on Tuesday.
While explaining the salient features of the Bill, Mr. Appala Raju said the fact that the Gross Value Added (GVA) to the GSDP by aquaculture (done in roughly two lakh hectares) far exceeded that of agriculture sector spoke volumes of its importance.
More than 40 lakh hectares were under agriculture, but the gross value contributed by it was about ₹32,000 crore. On the contrary, the gross value contributed by aquaculture was ₹50,000 crore, he said.
Fish farming was so precious to the economy and activities undermining it ought to be dealt with sternly. Therefore, the fish feed quality control law was brought to save the sector.
