Problems Of Paddy-Cum-Fish Culture Case Study

Concluding Remarks

Problems of Paddy-cum-Fish Culture
The present research work shows the economic viability and socio-culturally sustainability of the paddy-cum-fish cultivation in Ziro valley. It is observed that the state government has not taken enough steps for facilitating the farmers in terms of providing sufficient fish fry and fingerlings at reasonable price and required know-how or training to the farmers in order to popularizing this culture and enhancing its yield rate. Thus, the local farmers find some problems to make it popular and potential. The problems they normally face are:
1. The source of perennial water supply is limited and hence most of the paddy fields depend on the rainfall for culturing fish in their paddy
Due to the fish culture in paddy fields the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides are not found.
12. The mechanization or use of modern machines is not found in Apatanis agriculture. They do not even use bullock in their agricultural operations. Their whole agricultural operations are done by human labour only.

Suggestions for Development of Paddy-cum-Fish Culture in Ziro Valley
The rice-fish farming practice of Apatanis is traditional type as it is integrated without any modification of indigenous agronomic practice of the tribe. It is the only kind of non-supplementary feed based rice-fish culture in India. The system utilizes the underutilized agriculture very judiciously to produce fish simultaneously along with paddy. Thus, this system possesses scope for further development potential through intervention of modern science and technology.
1. To increase the area under paddy-cum-fish culture in the valley, it is necessary to increase the supply of subsidies fish nursery to the farmers from the department of fishery as a token of encouragement.
2. Farmers should be encouraged to practice pisciculture to produce fingerling and advance fish nurseries to culture in the paddy field which is in short supply in the
It is the only kind of rizipisciculture primarily based on without supplementary feeding at Ziro valley in the entire north east states and India as a whole. This system utilizes the available limited agricultural paddy field judiciously to produce rice-fish-millet simultaneously which is considered as one of the best utilization of land. The paddy fields are also free from the use of agro-chemicals such as weedicide, pesticide and insecticide except the traditional organic manures. The techniques of production are traditional with little modification under the influence of improved modern technology. The Apatanis farmers through the indigenous practices of rice-fish culture not only conserve biological diversity but also manage sustainable utilization of the available resources in the agriculture for their paddy + fish + millet benefits in the economy of Ziro valley. Thus, the Apatani rice-fish-millet culture can be a role model for rest of the country as well as not only for South-East Asian Countries but also for rest of the world towards sustainable organic farming of two or more crops at a time in given land. Therefore, the whole Apatani valley with this unique farming technique deserves the declaration as World Heritage Site by the UNESCO for its unique environmental friendly mode of