India's first commercial tropical trout farm to be inaugurated in Hyderabad on Monday

Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh will inaugurate India’s first commercial-scale tropical Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS)-based Rainbow Trout farm and research institute in Hyderabad on January 5.

The facility, established by Smart Green Aquaculture Ltd at Kandukur Mandal in Ranga Reddy District, Telangana, demonstrates that high-value cold-water species can be farmed year-round in tropical climates using precision engineering and advanced water recirculation technologies, an official statement said.

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The project overturns the long-standing assumption that premium aquaculture species are geographically constrained to specific climatic zones, establishing technology rather than climate as the primary determinant of aquaculture viability.

The facility also functions as a live training and demonstration platform, providing youth with hands-on experience in advanced aquaculture systems, automation, and biosecurity.

Major investment in Fisheries Sector The Centre has significantly ramped up investments in the fisheries and aquaculture sector in recent years. Since 2015, cumulative investments totalling ₹38,572 crore have been approved or announced across various schemes.

Cold-water fisheries are emerging as a high-potential segment, driven by rising market demand for premium species, expanding export opportunities, and increasing investments in sustainable aquaculture technologies.

Trout farming, largely concentrated in Himalayan and hill states such as Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, leverages cold, well-oxygenated water from snow-fed streams and rivers.

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Production and expansion The Department of Fisheries has developed rainbow trout hatcheries that have substantially increased fish production and created local employment.

With new hatcheries and advanced aquaculture techniques, annual production of 14 lakh trout seeds has been achieved.

Uttarakhand has signed an MoU with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) under the vibrant village scheme to provide trout fish.

The Department of Fisheries has also notified the development of cold-water fisheries clusters in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.

The government is driving aquaculture as a strategic growth engine through focused investments, technology adoption, and institutional reforms, transitioning the sector from subsistence-led practices to a technology-driven, market-oriented ecosystem aimed at meeting growing domestic demand and export opportunities.