Indoor trout farm near Hyderabad eyeing year-round production opened

A trout farming facility established by Hyderabad-based startup SmartGreen Aquaculture (SGA) targetting year-round production in a controlled, biosecure indoor environment was formally opened on Monday (January 05).

The facility, located in Kandukur mandal of Rangareddy district and based on recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) technology was inaugurated by Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and Panchayati Raj Rajiv Ranjan Singh in the presence of Union Ministers G. Kishan Reddy and others.

The facility has been developed with an initial cost of around $6 million and will have total production capacity of 1,200 tonnes. The company described it as India’s first inland, trout farming facility.

Mr. Rajiv Ranjan Singh described the project as a path-breaking and “goes beyond imagination” demonstrating the transformative power of technology in aquaculture. The successful cultivation of trout, a cold-water species, in Hyderabad proves any fish species can be produced anywhere in India with the adoption of the right technology.

Temperature-controlled aquaculture systems can overcome traditional geographical and climatic limitations, opening new possibilities for fisheries development across the country, a release on his speech said.

Smart Green Aquaculture founder and MD Aditya Rithvik Narra said unlike traditional open-water farming, the facilitiy operates as an inland freshwater farm, recycling and treating water continuously through RAS technology thus significantly reducing water usage, minimising environmental impact and ensuring consistent water quality critical for sensitive species such as Rainbow trout.

“RAS is the backbone… allows us to farm trout efficiently in a warm-climate region like Hyderabad while maintaining optimal temperatures, oxygen levels and biosecurity,” he said in a release.

SGA plans to establish a flexi-scale premium microalgae biorefinery. The company’s hatchery is spread across 5 acres has a production capacity of 1.2 million fingerlings. The grow-out facility is spread across 2 acres and employs 200 direct and indirect employees.

The biorefinery can produce biomass for nutraceuticals, aquafeed, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and sustainable agriculture and set to be operational by 2026-27.