Unable to bear with huge losses every year, fish farmers have urged the government to include fish farming in the agriculture sector. They said there should be a relief package for affected farmers. Trout fish farmers are the worst-affected because of rain every year. Recently, a national-level seminar was held in Bilaspur district to discuss the development of cold water fisheries in Himachal, where experts from Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Tamil Nadu expressed their views. Shakti Singh, president of the Trout Fish Farmers Association, Kullu district, said: For the past five years, we have been demanding to include trout farming in the agriculture sector so that farmers can get loans. But our pleas fell on deaf ears. The insurance companies are charging high premium for the insurance of fish farms, which is Rs 20,000 per water tank. We want 75 per cent subsidy on the premium from the government, he added. He said it was unfortunate that trout farming was not covered under disaster relief. Natural calamities affect trout farming, causing heavy losses to the farmers. As a result, many fish farmers are forced to quit this profession as there is no immediate relief from the government. The Trout Farmers Association, Kullu, has submitted a demand charter to the Fisheries Department for consideration. We are hopeful that the minister, Virender Kanwar, will do the needful, Shakti said. Satpal Mehta, director, Fisheries Department, said: The demand of fish farmers is under consideration. We have conducted a seminar to listen to the grievances of fish farmers and also deliberated upon steps to promote fish farming in the state. Last year, the government trout fish farm at Patlikuhal in Kullu district was damaged due to a natural calamity. We are seeking financial assistance from the Central government for the revival of the project. We have submitted a proposal of Rs 9 crore to the Central Government for approval. As soon as we will get the approval, funds will be given to the affected farmers, he said.