Promotion of Intensive Aquaculture through Bio-floc Technology (Odisha)

What is the bio-floc technology programme in Odisha?

Promotion of Intensive Aquaculture through Bio-floc Technology is a sub-scheme of Mukhyamantri Maschyajibi Kalyan Yojana (MMKY), the state sector umbrella fisheries scheme of the Fisheries & Animal Resources Development Department, Government of Odisha. The scheme subsidises the construction and first crop of a brick-masonry bio-floc fish farming unit, so a farmer or entrepreneur with very little land can run high-density aquaculture.

Bio-floc based farming aims to promote sustainable intensification of freshwater fish and brackish water shrimp farming. According to the department's guideline, bio-flocs are micro-balls of unused feed and excreta of fish or shrimp together with bacteria. Adding a carbon source to the tank water lets these microbes settle on the bio-floc surface and digest the waste, recycling nutrients and holding water quality steady. The guideline records that consumption of bio-flocs by shrimp and fish increases nitrogen retention from added feed by 7 to 13 per cent, converting nitrogenous waste that would otherwise be a pollutant into feed. Conversion of ammonia and nitrogen gases happens faster in a bio-floc system because microbial growth rates are higher.

What the scheme sets out to do

• Promote high-yielding intensive fish farming in a small area using bio-floc technology.
• Encourage farmers, entrepreneurs and unemployed youth to generate income through small-scale bio-floc farming.

The scheme is implemented in all 30 districts of Odisha in the freshwater sector by the Directorate of Fisheries, through District Fisheries Officers and block-level Assistant Fisheries Officers.

How a bio-floc system runs, as set out in the guideline: stock fish fry, fingerling or prawn; feed and manage the tank; add carbon supplements periodically to hold a carbon to nitrogen ratio of 15:1; remove bottom sludge periodically and refill; then harvest the crop.

Who is eligible for the bio-floc scheme?

You can apply if:

• You are a resident of Odisha with a valid Aadhaar card.
• You hold a bank account in your own name at a branch in Odisha.
• You have an Aadhaar-linked mobile number for registration on the Go-Sugam portal.
• You hold requisite land for installing the unit, free from all encroachments and encumbrances, either owned or on a registered lease of at least 7 years.
• You are a farmer, private entrepreneur or unemployed youth. Fish farmers running grow-out tanks, nursery and seed tanks, and fish or shrimp hatchery operators are also covered.
• You have already availed bio-floc assistance for fewer than 6 tanks under another scheme. You may claim for the balance, up to the overall ceiling of 6 tanks.

You cannot apply: or are not eligible, if:

• You already hold 6 or more subsidised bio-floc tanks across all central and state schemes. Assistance is capped at 6 tanks in total including tanks installed earlier.
• Any member of your family has drawn subsidy under the same scheme in the last three years. The scheme treats the beneficiary family as one unit rather than each individual, so one family cannot draw multiple benefits under one scheme. This family bar does not apply to a WSHG member covered under the WSHG bio-floc component.
• You are not a resident of Odisha, or hold no bank account in the state.
• Your land is encumbered, encroached or disputed, or your lease is unregistered or runs for less than seven years.
• You are a brackish water shrimp farm, nursery, seed tank or hatchery beneficiary without a licence from the Coastal Aquaculture Authority, which is mandatory for that group.

Priority in selection goes to unemployed educated youth, because bio-floc farming involves advanced technology and beneficiaries must complete specialised training before operating the unit. Preference is also given to SC, ST, PWD and transgender applicants.

What is the unit cost and subsidy for a bio-floc unit?

The unit cost is Rs 0.75 lakh capital and Rs 0.25 lakh input per tank, that is Rs 1 lakh per 15 cubic metre (15,000 litre) tank of 4 metre diameter. Three models are admissible.

The Type-1 model is itemised in the guideline and shows exactly what the money buys.

Capital cost; Rs 1.50 lakh

• Brick-masonry bio-floc tanks with frames, solid base, drain pipe and fish net covering, 4 m diameter by 1.3 m depth giving 15,000 litres each: two tanks, or one tank of 30 cubic metre capacity: Rs 90,000
• Wooden, bamboo or GI-pole shed covered with shade net, floor area 50 sq m (10 m by 5 m), height 3 m: Rs 10,000
• Electric water pump, 0.5 HP: Rs 4,000
• Two ring blowers or high-pressure air pumps, 100-120 W single phase: Rs 20,000
• Electronic weighing balance: Rs 1,000
• UPS with inverter (1100 VA) and battery (150 Ah), or a portable 1 kW genset or other backup including solar: Rs 25,000

Operational cost per crop; Rs 50,000

• Water management (pumping, probiotics, aeration): Rs 10,000
• 1,600 fingerlings of 25 g at about Rs 5 each, tilapia, pangasius, catfish, amur carp, scampi, shrimp or barb, including packing and transport: Rs 8,000
• 800 kg of formulated feed with 24-30 per cent crude protein and 3 per cent fat at about Rs 36 a kg: Rs 28,800
• Miscellaneous: Rs 3,200

You may build tanks of higher dimension or in concrete or RCC, but financial assistance stays capped at the table above. Item-wise operational costs are indicative and can vary with field conditions, though the maximum assistance towards seed stays Rs 8,000 and towards feed Rs 28,800 in the Type-1 model.

How to apply for the bio-floc scheme in Odisha

1. Register on Go-Sugam at sugam.odisha.gov.in with a mobile number linked to your Aadhaar.
2. Fill the bio-floc application, stating the number of tanks, the category of unit; freshwater fish farm, nursery, seed tank or hatchery — and your land and bank details.
3. Upload the Annexure-I(A) checklist documents; Aadhaar, RoR of the proposed land, certified sketch map, caste or PWD or transgender certificate where claimed, affidavit for joint property, registered 7-year lease if applicable, a self-contained proposal for the new bio-floc unit, and the first page of your bank passbook.
4. Apply offline if online fails. Submit the same Annexure-I form and checklist to the Assistant Fisheries Officer of your block. All offline applications must be uploaded to Go-Sugam by the AFO within 15 days of the DLC and before any go-ahead is issued.
5. Site verification. The AFO visits the site, uploads at least one geo-tagged photograph showing both you and the AFO at the project site, files the technical feasibility report online in Go-Sugam, and certifies that the proposed project is completely new.
6. District Level Committee approval. The DFO convenes the DLC under the Chairmanship of the Collector within 30 days of receiving the application, as required by FARD notification 834/FARD dated 21 January 2023.
7. Collect the go-ahead letter (Annexure-IV) issued within 15 days of DLC completion, along with the model layout of the unit (Annexure-III). Build only after this letter. In bank finance cases a copy goes to the bank and the application is uploaded to the SAFAL portal.
8. Complete the training organised by the Directorate of Fisheries at CIFA, BWTC, FTI or a similar institution. The cost is met from the scheme's IEC and capacity building component.
9. Install the unit and stock the seed, then upload the self-declaration form and self-certified GST bills on Go-Sugam and request release of subsidy. The AFO inspects within 15 days of your intimation, and the DFO releases subsidy by DBT within 15 days of joint inspection and submission of bills.

How is the bio-floc subsidy released?

Bio-floc subsidy is back-ended and paid in two phases:

• 60 per cent after installation of the tanks and shed.
• 40 per cent after stocking of fish or shrimp seed in the newly installed tanks.

The District Fisheries Officer may alternatively release 100 per cent of the admissible subsidy at one go after all inputs are procured and stocking is complete. Either way, release depends on the AFO submitting the utilisation certificate, Annexure-VA for self-finance cases and Annexure-VB for bank finance, along with certified input bills and vouchers and geo-tagged photographs in which both the AFO and the beneficiary are visible with the asset created.

Only the items named in the unit cost are eligible for subsidy as per the DPR: brick masonry tanks, blower, water pump, genset or other backup, shed and inputs. Any item costing Rs 20,000 or more must be paid for online by RTGS, NEFT or UPI, and the transaction receipt is mandatory. Feed counts as a single item regardless of brand or supplier.

Verification is layered. The AFO physically verifies 100 per cent of completed projects. The DFO, Additional Fisheries Officer or AFO (HQ) cross-checks at least 25 per cent, visiting immediately after tank installation and before stocking. The Zonal Deputy Director of Fisheries verifies at least 5 per cent of completed cases, separate from the 25 per cent; though subsidy release is not held up for the Zonal DDF inspection.

How to check your bio-floc application status

1. Log in to sugam.odisha.gov.in and open your dashboard to see the current stage.
2. Ask the block Assistant Fisheries Officer whether the geo-tagged photograph and technical feasibility report have been uploaded.
3. Ask the District Fisheries Officer whether the District Level Committee has approved your case and whether the go-ahead letter and model layout have been issued.
4. After installation, follow up on the utilisation certificate and the DBT release.

The DFO uploads the list of beneficiaries assisted under the scheme to the Go-Sugam portal and submits a monthly progress report to the Directorate of Fisheries in Cuttack.

Why bio-floc applications get rejected

• Six or more subsidised bio-floc tanks already held, which exhausts the ceiling.
• Family already benefited under the same scheme in the last three years.
• Land encumbered or joint without an affidavit sworn before an Executive Magistrate carrying the consent of co-owners or legal heirs.
• Lease shorter than seven years or unregistered.
• Construction started before the go-ahead letter, which makes the unit ineligible for back-ended subsidy.
• Tanks below the minimum design and specification in the model layout, since assistance is tied to the prescribed dimensions.
• No Coastal Aquaculture Authority licence for brackish water shrimp, nursery, seed tank or hatchery beneficiaries.
• Cash payment above Rs 20,000 per item, with no online transaction receipt.
• No progress within three months of the go-ahead, after which the DFO issues a one-month notice and can cancel. Bank finance cases get six months, but must finish within the financial year.

Help and grievance redressal

• District Fisheries Officer of your district. The authority for selection, the go-ahead letter and subsidy release.
• Assistant Fisheries Officer of your block, for the feasibility report, site verification and completion inspection.
• Lead District Manager of your district, whom the DFO coordinates with for bank loans, since you must invest 40 to 50 per cent of the project cost yourself.
• Fisheries & Animal Resources Development Department, Odisha, Lok Seva Bhavan, Sachivalaya Marg, Bhubaneswar 751001. Telephone (0674) 2536985 and (0674) 2322960, fax (0674) 2390681, email fardsec.od@nic.in.
• Directorate of Fisheries, Odisha, Cuttack for escalation.

A separate bio-floc route also exists outside MMKY: the department runs Bio-floc Technology for New Pond Excavation under OMBADC, the Odisha Mineral Bearing Areas Development Corporation, with its own guideline and application form on the FARD schemes page. Ask your District Fisheries Officer which window is open in your district before you file, since targets under the two are allotted separately. District officials may enhance their allotted target by up to 25 per cent, so a district that has "run out" early in the year is worth asking about again.