Success Stories at KisanFlex Biofloc technology (BFT) has become very popular among the fish farmers in India in the last decade. This is mainly due to its high productivity and limited need for water exchange. As with any new technology, Biofloc comes with its share of misconceptions. However, with proper training and know-how, fish farmers have been able to debunk the myths and achieve remarkable success in this field.
“Every small detail counts….” Mr. Supriyo Ghosh, from Tarakeshwar, West Bengal, is one of the pioneers in Biofloc fish farming in Eastern India. He left his highly lucrative job as the Marketing Head of a reputed IT firm in 2018, to pursue his passion for organic fish farming. He has been kind enough to share his experiences on Biofloc fish farming with usThe idea: “I had been doing my research for a long time. In mid-2019, Mr. Yoram Avnimelech , who is regarded as the father of BioFloc Technology, conducted a seminar at Lakkhiserai,
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understanding of BFT, but I was still not clear about how to set up my own Biofloc fish farm” The journey: Mr. Ghosh went on to say “I was lucky enough to meet Mr. Prantik Sinha, who also was one of the attendees at the seminar. Mr. Sinha guided me through the entire process, right from assisting with the technical know-how to setting up the Biofloc fish tanks and maintaining the ecosystem.” Mr. Ghosh started his business with an initial investment of just Rs.3lacs with which he could manage to set up 4 Biofloc fish tanks within a small area of around15000 sq.ft. “I tried to follow everything I learnt at the seminar and paid attention to every detail like temperature of the water, dissolved oxygen, pH level, TDS, C: N, TAN, etc. at all stages of the process. Every small detail counts, you know…” Till date, Mr. Ghosh has successfully harvested Catfish, Singhi, Magur, Pabda, Koi, Tilapia, Bata, Japani Puti, and Rupchanda and is now trying to breed and harvest Rohu and Katla fishes using BFT.
The experience: “I started with 5 kgs of Koi and Tilapia seeds and harvested 450 kgs of fish in just 5 months. This is almost double the yield of what you get from traditional pond aquaculture. Good quality probiotic ensures better fish health and higher productivity. Mr. Sinha introduced me to “Humifloc”, which happens to be the best quality probiotic. This proved to be a game changer.” Mr. Ghosh pointed out the importance of water temperature in this process. “The yield is typically low in the winter months due to the drop in temperature. This can be easily managed by setting up a Polyhouse.” A Polyhouse is a greenhouse-like structure for fishes for regulating the temperature inside the tanks. He informed about the need of being up-to-date with the developments in Biofloc Technology as it is a continuously and rapidly evolving field. This ensures proper and optimal utilization of resources. He further remarked, “Observation is the key to success in Biofloc fish farming. You need to be very careful about the essential parameters. If you are particular about the rule book, you are bound to get the desired results.” The patronage: “The KisanTalks seminars arranged by KisanFlex under the patronage of Mr. Suman Chowdhury, an eminent figure in this field, benefitted me with the necessary technical knowhow and a holistic understanding of BioFloc fish farming.” “I was fortunate to have Mr. Anil Jhavar and Mr. Sinha from KisanFlex by my side, who provided me with the best quality equipment for my business. “ We, at KisanFlex, are grateful to Mr. Supriyo Ghosh for his valuable insights and are proud to be a part of his pioneering efforts in promoting BFT in Eastern India region. He has recently established a training centre near Tarakeshwar, to address the knowledge gap among the fish farmers and update them on the newer developments in this field. We wish him great success in BioFloc fish farming and hope to serve him better in future, with our wide range of products.