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Khyber Aquaculture produces 1,200 tonnes of trout annually, with plans to expand to 7,000 tonnes.

Carry on upwards, Khyber

Licence opens the door for Indian trout producer to expand sales beyond its mountain home

Gareth Moore Gareth Moore editor
Published

A vertically integrated trout farmer that operates a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) and processing facilities in the shadow of the Himalayas has secured a key licence to enable it to expand beyond its local market.

Khyber Aquaculture, founded in 2022, said the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licence granted for its facility at Chak Akhal Kangan in the Sind Valley, Jammu & Kashmir (J&L), marked an important milestone in the company’s move towards premium retail and food service markets.

The licence covers the manufacture, trade, and retail of fish and fish products, providing the regulatory foundation for Khyber Aquaculture to take forward processing, packaging, storage and distribution – as applicable - of its Himalayan trout products. The company is now preparing to introduce packaged trout products for consumers while expanding its presence across retail, distribution, and institutional channels.

Khyber Aquaculture currently produces 1,200 tonnes of trout annually and has plans to increase that to 7,000 tonnes.

Khyber Aquaculture factfile

  • Khyber Aquaculture farms rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

  • Its eight-acre site was designed in collaboration with Danish and Swedish aquaculture engineering partners. The system recycles 85% to 95% of its water using multi-stage mechanical drum filtration, biofiltration, degassing, and pure oxygen injection, reducing freshwater consumption to approximately 30 gallons per kilogram of fish.

  • The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is India's leading cold-water aquaculture hub, contributing more than half of the country’s total trout output. Production in J&K has scaled significantly from ~302 tonnes in 2016–17 to approximately 2,650 to 3,000 tonnes annually, 95% of which is comprised of rainbow trout. Brown trout (Salmo trutta) makes up the rest.

  • Perennial glacial rivers (such as the Sindh, Lidder, and Bringhi) and deep mountain aquifers supply abundant, unpolluted water for J&K fish farms. Fast-flowing mountain streams naturally carry dissolved oxygen levels exceeding 8–10 mg/L, which Khyber Aquaculture says results in a cleaner, sweeter flavour profile and optimal fillet firming.

Director Yunus Trumboo said: “Our focus now is to bring our sustainably farmed, clean and biosecure trout closer to consumers. We will also use Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP), which uses a carefully controlled mix of carbon dioxide and nitrogen to help keep the trout fresh for longer.”

Khyber Aquaculture operates its own hatchery.

For Khyber Aquaculture, situated almost 6,000 feet above sea level, the FSSAI licence brings together its integrated egg-to- plate value chain and creates a structured pathway to take Himalayan trout beyond traditional regional markets.

With the licence now in place, Khyber Aquaculture is preparing to launch its initial range of products across fresh, chilled and frozen formats.

The first range will include boneless skin-on portion cuts, supreme fillets and trout steaks.

The company said the portion cuts will feature thick, chunky pieces taken from larger fish, with packs designed to serve a traditional household family. The supreme fillets will cater to home cooks looking to prepare trout at home, while the steaks will offer another convenient cut for everyday cooking. These initial offerings will be followed by ready-to-cook curry cuts, and sushi and sashimi products, among others, as the company expands its product range.

A trout portion from Khyber Aquaculture.
Sashimi made with Khyber Aquaculture trout.

For the food service segment, Khyber Aquaculture will offer larger packs suited to professional kitchens and bulk requirements. These will include a 3.2 kg pack of supreme fillets containing four pieces.

Khyber said its fresh, chilled trout will have a chilled shelf life between 5 to 8 days and frozen shelf life of up to 12 months, subject to prescribed storage and handling conditions.

The company’s processing facility has a current daily capacity of up to 10 tonnes, providing the infrastructure to support the packaged-product rollout and future market expansion.

Healthy-looking trout in a net.
Inside the Khyber Aquaculture RAS facility.
Khyber Aquaculture is situated next to the River Sind in the Sind Valley, almost 6,000 gfeet above sea level.
Whole trout produced by Khyber Aquaculture.
Juvenile fish at the Khyber Aquaculture facility.

The FSSAI licensing comes ahead of the opening of Khyber Aquaculture’s first branded retail store at Karan Nagar, Srinagar in J&K, which will offer a full range of live, fresh, packaged, chilled and frozen products.

“Consumers will also be able to select live trout and have it cleaned, cut and packed at the store”, stated Trumboo.

“This gives us a strong foundation to expand our retail and distribution presence while maintaining the quality and standards at the heart of our business.”

Seeking BAP certification

Beyond J&K, Khyber Aquaculture plans to progressively expand across North India and other markets through distributors, food service customers, and e-commerce direct-to-consumer channels.

“Our immediate priorities include the launch of packaged trout SKUs (stock keeping unit codes), opening of our first branded retail store and expansion of the cold-chain and distribution infrastructure required to take Himalayan trout to a wider consumer market.,” said Trumboo.

“We are also working towards obtaining the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification, which will be an important step in expanding our presence into global markets.”

Khyber Aquaculture is part of Khyber Group, a business conglomerate with interests spanning luxury hospitality, cement, real estate, healthcare and sustainable aquaculture.

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