7 years ago | Written by THE HANS INDIA
World Fish Research Centre has developed disease resistant Gift Tilapia (Genetically improved farmed Tilapia) fish using strain of Nile Tilapia that was suitable for small and commercial culture. The fish starts breeding within 4 -months before being big enough to eat. It has extremely high breeding rate and female can produce 100 fries per week.
While consumers prefer other variety of fish above 1- kg weight, for Gift Tilapia fish, they prefer them after they attain 200 - 300 grams weight. The farmers who cultivate this crop will get two crops per year. The demand for this variety fish is increasing in Karnataka and Kerala. The farmers who cultivate this variety in Andhra Pradesh is exporting fish to Kerala and Karnataka states. The consumers in Andhra Pradesh have less awareness about this variety. The farmers who suffered losses in prawn farming are now shifting to Gift Tilapia.
The farmers will get two crops yearly making it profitable. At present Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture Centre Manikonda is supplying seed to the farmers. We have hybridized this fish with other varieties to develop the breed further. Demand for this fish is high in the United States, Karnataka and Kerala. "