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AIT signs MoA with Mandal-Manit Aqua Genetics Technology & Research Pvt Ltd., India

14 Sep 2022
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14 September 2022: Asian Institute of Technology and Mandal-Manit Aqua Genetics Technology & Research Pvt Ltd. (MM-AG), India, signed a Memorandum of Agreement to assist, upscale, and modernize a commercial tilapia hatchery farm in Chhattisgarh, India. 

This project will utilize AIT’s expertise by applying a public-private partnership (PPP) model to contribute to the long-term goal of increasing productivity, thereby improving food and nutritional security, generating income, and creating employment for the people of India.

The project aims to design and organize training programs for company staff to guide them regarding the operation of commercial hatchery efficiently and to nursing, advanced nursing, and grow-out farmers. Furthermore, the project also aims to assist the company in running a commercial scale tilapia hatchery capable of producing and supplying high-quality monosex tilapia seed (fry and fingerlings) to solve the shortages of monosex fingerlings. Additionally, in promoting and marketing the monosex seed and overall tilapia farming in India to encourage the cage culture of tilapia.

Prof. Kazuo Yamamoto, AIT President, expressed delight in the collaboration. “MM-AG motto matches AIT’s mission, one of which is sustainability. Therefore, this partnership is a good opportunity from research and corporate perspectives.” 

Mr. Deepankar Mandal, Managing Director & CEO of MM-AG, and AIT alumni himself thanked AIT for their continuous support and motivation. “It is now time that I use my learnings for society. In the future, we aim to advance aquaculture, which will benefit everybody”, he said. 

Participants in this MoA signing ceremony from AIT included AIT President Prof. Kazuo Yamamoto; Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) Prof. Shobhakar Dhakal; Department Head, FAB Prof. Avisekh Datta; Director of Aqua Center and Research, Dr. Ram C. Bhujel; Director of Office of International Affairs (OIA) Mr. Shawn P. Kelly; Deputy Director of Office of Public Affairs (OPA) Mr. Sanjeet Amatya and Coordinator of OIA Dr. Sumana Shrestha. Similarly, Mr. Deepankar Mandal, Managing Director & CEO, represented MM-AG. 

The Aqua-Centre of AIT will play a central role in implementing the activities planned under this MoA. In addition, the Centre provides specialized technical assistance services globally, required for the sustainable development of aquaculture through training, consultancy, and technology transfer.

MM-AG is the subsidiary company of MM Fish Company (India) Pvt. Ltd., which started in 1985. Since 2017, the company has been producing Monosex Tilapia using an AIT model hatchery with permission from the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India.