3 min readChandigarhApr 22, 2026 12:11 PM IST
Dharampal Kala, a 52‑year‑old farmer from Chiri village in Haryana’s Rohtak district, has been engaged in fisheries for nearly three decades and, in the past four years, has expanded into jhinga (freshwater prawn) farming.
Owning just three acres of land, Kala built a cooperative society with 10 unemployed youths. Now he cultivates jhinga across 80 acres and fisheries on another 60 acres with a partner, taking land on contract from landowners or panchayats. His ventures have spread across Rohtak and Sonipat districts, creating a model of rural employment and agripreneurship.
Kala, a matriculate, began in 1999 by contracting village ponds for fishing on 38 acres and expanded to 200 acres by 2010, with the help of local youths. “This has been a flourishing business in Haryana for the youths who are willing to put in hard work. I have earned both reputation and financial stability from this business,” he said, recalling the Rs 1 lakh award he received in 2018 for progressive farming.
He added, “Apart from the jhinga and fisheries under my supervision, the youths who once worked with me have now taken the business to 100 acres independently. If they have the zeal to work, this has a promising future in terms of employment.”
According to Kala, jhinga farming requires an investment of about Rs 35 lakh for five acres, including contract costs, and yields nearly Rs 55 lakh annually, with profits around Rs 20 lakh. Panchayats usually lease less fertile land for such farming. Fisheries, he explained, can generate about Rs 15 lakh annually from a five‑acre pond, with contract costs ranging between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 20 lakh. Feed is stocked for a year, and produce is ready for sale after one cycle.
Officials from the Haryana fisheries department, including Sonipat district officer Manjua Bala, have praised Kala’s work.
“Whenever farmers visit the ponds maintained by Kala, they are struck by the cleanliness, systematic upkeep, and the cluster‑based farming practices that ensure optimal water quality. His methodical approach has inspired many farmers to take up both jhinga and fisheries,” said Rajesh Hooda, fisheries officer from Sonipat district.
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According to Hooda, this story reflects Kala’s journey from small‑scale pond contracts to becoming a cooperative leader, demonstrating how aquaculture can transform livelihoods and rural economies in Haryana.
Pawan Kumar, director of the fisheries department, noted that Haryana was the first landlocked state to promote jhinga farming in 2014, inspiring Punjab, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh to follow suit. Currently, jhinga farming covers 6,500 acres in Haryana, producing 17,000 metric tonnes annually, while fisheries span 55,000 acres with 2.14 lakh metric tonnes of output.
Kumar highlighted that subsidies are available—60 per cent for women and Scheduled Caste farmers, and 40 per cent for men from other communities. For subsidy purposes, the maximum project cost considered is Rs 28 lakh for five acres of jhinga farming and Rs 22 lakh for fisheries.
