Spending Rs 400 cr annually on importing fishes!!
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, May 25 2013 : The shortage of over 40,000 metric tonnes of fishes in the State has compelled to import the deficient quantity of fishes from other states at a staggering amount of Rs.400 crores annually, according to an official source from the State Fisheries Department.

This huge expenditure on importing fishes is a set back on the economy of the State whose annual plan outlay is just Rs.3650 crores.

The State Fisheries Department should work dedicatedly to augment the production of fishes in the State, some farmers have opined.

The total production of fishes in the State comes to around 25,000 metric tonnes in a year and it is unable to meet the growing demand of around 65,000 metric tonnes annually.

The deficit requirement is being imported from other States.

According to reports obtained from the Fishery Department, Government of Manipur, the quantity of fishes produced in the State during the fiscal year 2011-12 was around 22,200 metric tonnes.

The production of fishes in the State, however, showed a slight increase at 25,000 metric tonnes in the year 2012-13 .

But with just 25,000 metric tonnes of fishes produced in the State on a yearly basis when the actual requirement in a year is 65,000 metric tonnes, the State suffers a deficit of around 40,000 metric tonnes of fishes.

To bridge this demand-supply gap, the State Government is trying to increase the fish production in the State by imparting training programmes to fish farmers by the Fishery Department on using new technologies and various scientific methods.

The Fishery Department was first instituted in the year 1969 as a branch of the Agriculture Department.

Later in the year 1979, it started functioning as a separate Directorate.

Gradually a number of Fish Farmers Development Agencies were set up in different districts of the State.

It was in 2011-12 that a Fish Seed Farm covering an area of 5 hectares was established at Leimakhong Mapal in Imphal East district where fingerlings were produced on a large scale by using scientific methods.

While talking to Hueiyen Lanpao, some of the fish farmers stated that if the State Government comes up with certain aids to the fish farmers, the production level could be increased manifold.

There are various fish farmers who are not in a position to buy readymade fish feeds which can help in maturing the fishes at a faster rate.

It is here that the Government should come up with a helping hand so that the fish farmers could buy the required fish feeds needed for rapid growth of fishes.

The aggrieved fish farmers also pointed out that decrease in the number of lakes in the State is another reason for low production of fishes.

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