Cultivation of fish and vegetables on rooftops or on the lawns using the Aqua Phoenix technique is getting popular among the people of Rajshahi. Many people are also being benefitted from cultivating chemical-free vegetables and fish using this process.
Governmental organisation Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation and Non-governmental organisation Shataful Bangladesh are giving financial and technical support to implement the project Aqua Phoenix technic.
Runa Begum of Hasnabad village under Bagmara upazila is producing chemical-free fish and vegetables by making a small tank on the lawn of her house. Various species of fish are being cultivated inside this tank. Her son Ratan Pramanik, a college student, also assists his mother during his leisure.
The modern technic Aqua Phoenix requires no soil in cultivating vegetables and fish and by cultivating vegetables and culturing fish through this process, chemical-free, organic fish and vegetables are being produced. By using this technique, many people are also getting self-reliant in the district.
Runa Begum is a member of Shataful Bangladesh. She constructed a tank with the financial and technological support of Shataful Bangladesh. The entire project costs Tk 55,000.
She further said, she used Tk 10,000 for the cultivation of fish. But, within 33 days, she sold fish worth Tk 23,000 which brings them a profit of Tk 13,000. Some vegetables were also produced there which they consumed themselves.
Runa Begum and her son Ratan took training on Aqua Phoenix from Shataful Bangladesh. Her neighbour Rokshana Yasmin also got interested in Aqua Phonix and she has constructed the tank on the roof of her house.
Rony Hossain, Officer of Shataful Bangladesh informed, for cultivating chemical-free fish and vegetables, a small water tank, an air heater, Pump and a small tray are required. Fish fries are released in the water of the tank and vegetable seeds are sowed inside small brickbats placed on the tray. The water in the fish tank is pumped and poured into the tray. The pumped water breaks up the bacteria at the roots of the plants into food for the fish and thus purifies the water making it usable again for the fish. As a result, both the fertiliser and the water are saved.
Humayun Kabir, Director of Shataful informed, Shataful is imparting training for the females in rural areas to make them interested in producing chemical-free fish and vegetables using the Aqua Phoenix technique. PKSF is giving financial support for the implementation of the projects.
Jahangir Alam, Fisheries Officer of Rajshahi district informed, Aqua Phoenix is contributing to implement the Prime Minister's declaration that not a single inch of land should be left fallow. At the same time, by consuming chemical-free fish and vegetables produced through the Aqua Phoenix technique, people would also be freed from health hazards.