GIFT Tilapia is a fast growing fish and it is the candidate species for short term profitable fish farming. It has various advantages such as being hardy, can be stocked in high densities, can tolerate fluctuating water quality parameters but the farm level adoption of GIFT Tilapia farming technology has not increased significantly, given its relative advantage to the carps. Therefore, the study attempts to analyse the perception about GIFT Tilapia Farming thereby solutions can be obtained for better dissemination and adoption. The area of study was Ponneri Taluk of Tiruvallur district. Simple random sampling was used for selecting the sample and the total sample size is 82 (44 Fish farmers and 38 Non-fish farmers with knowledge about fish farming). The data collection was done through focussed group discussions and structured interview schedule.
The Cumulative Perception Index is calculated for each statement and the statements are ranked accordingly. The results show that the respondents perceive strongly that GIFT Tilapia is one of the best cultivable species and it has more profit compared to carp culture. The perception is highly negative to the statement that "GIFT tilapia culture technology is complex" however 63% of the respondents were sceptical about the marketing of GIFT Tilapia. According to the results, awareness to the farmers regarding the marketability of GIFT Tilapia and guidelines to farming and making GIFT Tilapia seeds easily available can improve dissemination and adoption