Wahida Sultana, in her forties, is well-known in Chalapathar village of Nagaon. After moving to her husband’s village post-marriage, she saw potential in the local fish farming industry—a field traditionally dominated by men. Driven by vision and determination, she decided to venture into fish farming. Today, she is spearheading a revolution of sorts making money for herself, and many others like her while giving her district a pride of place.
“When I moved here, I noticed that my in-laws had a large pond. I thought it could be a valuable income source. My husband, being a Government employee with limited time, was not in a position to explore this, but I was keen on it. Today, it is paying us rich dividends,” Wahida told Asom Barta.
During the peak seasons of winter and early summer, from December to April, Wahida sells large quantities of fish, establishing herself as a successful fish farmer. Her innovative approach soon caught the attention of other women in the village, who began to replicate her business model.
Her proactive zeal was noticed within a short time when Assam State Rural Livelihood Mission (ASRLM) decided to form the Cluster Level Federation (CLF) with around 4,000 women. Naturally, Wahida was chosen as the president. Dhansiri CLF was formed in July 2021. A year-and-a-half later, the CLF was approached by ASRLM for pearl farming.
“Pearl farming was a completely new concept for us. Initially, we were confused, but after additional training, we realised it would be a profitable venture,” Wahida said.
In February 2024, Wahida and four other women from Chalapathar and nearby villages leased a 1.5-bigha pond to start pearl farming. They have invested ₹2 lakh, initially stocking the pond with 6,000 pearl mussels, which in a few months could be harvested. They also introduced 1.5 quintals of various fish species, such as common carp and rohu, into the pond. Wahida noted that, unlike other agricultural and fishery activities, pearl farming is less time-consuming and labour-intensive.
The team expects to harvest a yield worth approximately double their initial investment, with the harvest anticipated between December 2024 and March 2025. They plan to craft handmade pearl ornaments and market them throughout the State.
Wahida and her team have encouraged hundreds of women across 13 blocks of Nagaon to farm this dream.
Rulen Hazarika, the vice-chairman of the Assam Pearl Development Cooperative Society, spearheads this initiative. After educating himself about pearl farming from social media like YouTube, and later receiving training from ICAR-CIFA Bhubaneswar in 2018, he began encouraging local farmers to take to pearl farming.
“To make Nagaon a leading district in pearl farming in Assam, I approached the district administration. They supported us by roping in ASRLM to train SHG members.
Under this initiative, over a thousand rural women across 13 blocks have been trained. The cooperative society has signed an agreement with ASRLM to provide 15 months of support to pearl farmers and handle marketing, sales, and exports of their produce.
This initiative has caught the eye of the Government. On Lok Kalyan Divas, the Nagaon District Administration received the Karmashree Award for this initiative.
Nagaon District Commissioner Narendra Kumar Shah, the then DRCS Nagaon Biswajit Chakravarty, and DPM ASRLM Sankha Probal Sundilya were honoured with the Karmashree Award for their efforts.
Shah, who has taken the initiative to diversify the livelihood of the people using available resources in the area, said, “Given the longstanding involvement of people of Nagaon in fisheries and pond management, pearl farming can be introduced as a polyculture activity where fisheries & pearl cultivation can go side-by-side. Besides, Assam’s climate is also suitable for pearl production.”
“Pearl farming does not require a big investment. At the same time, it offers high returns and seeks a minimal maintenance. Secondly, pearl mussels only survive in a very narrow PH of water obviating the need for excess urea,” he told this reporter.
“At present, 22 CLFs from 13 blocks with 33 ponds are engaged in this activity,” he informed this newsletter.
“In the last two years, the Government of Assam has developed several Amrit-Sarovar ponds built across the State. Quite a number of them can be utilised for pearl farming depending upon their capacity,” he said on the idea of scaling this project, adding that pearl has export potential to Southeast Asia.
Sundilya told this reporter that his focus was always to create awareness among the farmers, especially among women, who are heralding this success story in the district.
