Village Youth Turns Successful Fisheries Entrepreneur with Support from CML-Tata Trust

Agartala, Jun 03, 2026, By Our Correspondent

The success story of 37-year-old fisheries entrepreneur Sanat Kumar Debbarma from Banshiram Bari village under Tulasikhar RD Block in Tripura's Khowai district demonstrates how proper training, institutional support, and determination can transform rural livelihoods and create sustainable income opportunities.Coming from an Arts background, Sanat Kumar Debbarma began his entrepreneurial journey during his college days. Today, he manages fisheries activities across seven ponds covering approximately eight kani of land and has established himself as a successful fish farmer with an annual turnover of around Rs. 5 to 6 lakh.Sanat's journey gained momentum in 2015 when he came under the livelihood development initiatives implemented by the Centre for Microfinance & Livelihood (CML), an associate organization of Tata Trusts. Through the project, he received extensive training from the project of TATA Trust and got exposure visits from College of Fisheries in Tripura, ICAR institutions, and other reputed fisheries training centres from others state.The quality training, technical guidance, and continuous monitoring provided by CML-Tata Trust enabled the village youth to acquire modern aquaculture skills and transform fisheries into a profitable enterprise. Today, he serves as a Board of Director (BoD) of the Khowai Khabaksa Matsyajibi Samabay Samiti (KKMSS), a cooperative society functioning under the supervision of CML.A major milestone in his entrepreneurial journey came in 2019-20 when he established a fish hatchery with support from CML-Tata Trust. The hatchery produces fingerlings of Indian Major Carps (IMC), helping meet the growing demand for quality fish seed in the region. Besides fingerlings, he also supplies yearlings and table fish to local markets.Sharing details of his business performance, Sanat Kumar Debbarma said that during the current year he earned nearly Rs. 1 lakh from the sale of around 30,000 fingerlings, Rs. 1.5 lakh from selling approximately 15,000 yearlings, and about Rs. 3 lakh from the sale of 1,000 kilograms of table fish.While Sanat's success highlights the effectiveness of capacity-building initiatives in rural areas, experts believe that more such interventions, easier access to credit, and expansion of technical support services can help replicate similar success stories across Tripura. His achievement serves as an inspiring example of how skill development, institutional support, and entrepreneurship can contribute to rural economic growth and self-reliance in the fisheries sector