$6-mn trout farm in Telangana pioneers cold-water aquaculture
Integrated farm features a 2-acre grow-out facility, a 5-acre hatchery producing 1.2 million fingerlings annually, processing plant for value-added trout products
image for illustrative purpose
Hyderabad: Smart Green Aquaculture (SGA), a Hyderabad-based startup, has inaugurated India’s first state-of-the-art inland trout farming facility in Kandukur Mandal, Ranga Reddy District, Telangana. The $6 million facility, built on a 7-acre campus, demonstrates that cold-water species like rainbow trout can be farmed successfully even in warmer regions such as the Deccan Plateau.
The integrated farm features a 2-acre grow-out facility, a 5-acre hatchery producing 1.2 million fingerlings annually, and a processing plant for value-added trout products. Operating on a sustainable Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS), the farm enables year-round production in a biosecure environment while minimising water usage and environmental impact.
SGA plans to add a flexi-scale Microalgae Biorefinery by 2026-27, which will produce biomass for nutraceuticals, aquafeed, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and sustainable agriculture. The facility will also serve as a skill development center for RAS technology, contributing to India’s blue revolution mission.
The inaugural event was attended by Union Ministers Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh), G Kishan Reddy, S P Singh Baghel, and other dignitaries from government and aquaculture sectors. Lalan Singh praised SGA as “a shining example of innovation driving India’s startup ecosystem,” while Kishan Reddy highlighted the potential of specialised fish farming in warmer inland regions.
Founder and Managing Director Aditya Rithvik Narra said, “Our precision-engineered trout farm demonstrates that advanced closed-loop aquaculture technologies can bring premium rainbow trout closer to Indian consumers. By integrating hatcheries, farming, processing, and e-commerce, we ensure fresher products with full traceability and biosecurity.”
The farm’s first phase, producing 360 metric tonnes, is nearing market readiness, while the second phase will expand total production to 1,200 metric tonnes annually. SGA targets retail, hospitality, and institutional buyers, both online and offline, and aims to train local communities, provide employment for 200 people, and enable small-scale farmers to operate compact aquaculture units under buy-back arrangements.
With India as the world’s second-largest fish producer and global aquaculture projected to grow from $296 billion in 2023 to $421 billion by 2030, SGA’s venture positions the country at the forefront of high-value, sustainable inland aquaculture.
