Fish Farming Yields Positive Results For Former Nalanda Professor
Kavindra Kumar Maurya initially started traditional farming, but declining returns on account of the weather damaging his crops took him towards fish farming
Published : January 11, 2026 at 4:48 PM IST
By Mehmood Alam
Nalanda: Profit is often the reward for a calculated risk. This has been demonstrated by Kavindra Kumar Maurya of Nalanda, Bihar, who left the job of a professor to take to fish farming.
The 65-year-old man is today recognised as a major name in fisheries. He had initially taken to traditional farming, but declining returns on account of the weather damaging his crops took him towards fish farming.
A resident of Charuipar village in the Nursarai block, Maurya was a professor at the Kushwaha Somari Triloki College (KST). Maurya always wanted to do something beyond academics.
As a traditional farmer, he faced the brunt of weather conditions as time and again, his potato, tomato and onion crops were damaged. After taking up fish farming, he has seen an increase in his income and presently earns up to Rs 5 lakh a season by farming fish on four acres. He believes that if young people devote their time and dedication to this business, they can earn up to Rs 15 lakh annually.
Maurya told ETV Bharat that around the year 2000, he converted a pit on his land where he grew crops into a reservoir and began fish farming. He started with one bigha of land, which has now expanded to four acres.
Inspired to adopt scientific methods in fish farming, he was a part of a group of farmers sent to Andhra Pradesh for training. After returning, he never looked back. R K Sinha, a fisheries graduate from Pantnagar, also provided significant assistance to him.
"It costs around Rs 70 to prepare a fish weighing up to one kilogram. I rear six types of fish in my pond, including Rehu, Katla, Naini (Indian), Silver Carp, Grass Carp and Common Carp (foreign). For fodder, apart from expensive market feed, we prepare a mixture of rice bran, oil cake, jaggery and yeast, which creates plankton in the water. This is easily digestible food for the fish," he shared.
To combat the increasing incidence of Nilgai entering farmlands and theft, he has resorted to the installation of solar fencing around the pond. It provides a mild current, preventing Nilgai and pigs from entering the farm besides the thieves. This has allowed him to continue his business with confidence.
"For the new generation who want to make their future in agriculture, fish farming is a low-cost, high-profit venture. I gave up vegetable farming and adopted it. Today I am living a happy life. The chances of loss are very low," Maurya shared.
He holds a master's degree in Botany and has taught college students, many of whom are holding high positions. He has two sons, both of whom are engineers. The elder one is serving in the Home Ministry, while the younger one works with a private company. He said that he left teaching to reduce his workload.
Maurya practices fish farming using common methods. He selects a field and maintains a consistent depth of 7 to 9 feet with water remaining at a depth of 5 feet. To keep the pond clean, a solution of lime and linseed cake is prepared and regularly poured into the pond twice a year. He uses materials like mahua cake, lime, cow dung manure, nets, water testing kits and fish feed, which increase water and soil fertility and lead to good fish production.
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