Guwahati: Assam’s fish-powder initiative is set to benefit more students after an encouraging Kamrup pilot.The Matsya Paripusti initiative, led by Kamrup school inspector and district elementary education officer Tapan Kumar Kalita and his team, turns small indigenous fish such as ‘mua’ (Indian carplet) and ‘dorikona’ (slender rasbora) into powder. The fish are machine-dried, processed whole and added to cooked meals at Anganwadi centres and lower primary schools.“The initiative also offers potential economic benefits. Increased demand for small indigenous fish could create opportunities for fish farmers, processors and rural entrepreneurs while promoting value addition within Assam’s fisheries sector,” finance minister Jayanta Mallabaruah wrote on ‘X’.The pilot began in Kamrup in 2023, initially reaching about 7,000 children at 293 Anganwadi centres during Nutrition Month and recording nearly 95% acceptance. A six-month intervention later covered about 3,300 children at 55 Anganwadi centres and 43 lower primary schools.“Since the fish is processed whole, the powder provides protein, calcium, iron, essential vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids and other micronutrients. Scientific assessments conducted at the baseline, midline and endline stages reported improvements in haemoglobin levels, anaemia, nutritional status and growth parameters,” the minister stated.WorldFish analysed the findings, which were submitted to National Fisheries Development Board to support expansion. The state govt plans to extend the model under PM-POSHAN and Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana across Kamrup, Darrang and Morigaon.It recently won Karmashree Award, and its use for patients at B Barooah Cancer Institute is being explored.
