RPF to ban import of 'fish' from 2024
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, October 14 2022: The proscribed Revolutionary People's Front (RPF) announced ban on import of certain varieties of fish to Manipur with effect from October 15, 2024 .

Fish varieties to be banned include catla, mrigal, grass carp, common carp, rohu, silver carp and tilapia (Tung-hanbi) .

Sea fishes which are not available easily and could not be reared in Manipur, however, will not be covered under the ban, a statement of RPF said.

The main objective of imposing the ban is to restore self-sufficiency in fish production that was in existence when Manipur was an independent nation and also to prevent people from consuming unhygienic and chemically treated fishes brought or imported from outside, the RPF statement issued by its deputy secretary of publicity Roben Khuman said and appealed to local fish traders to deal with fishes procured from local fish farmers only when the ban becomes effective.

According to the RPF statement, Manipur is the land of agriculture and it had not only self-sufficiency in food but also exported surplus food to outside at one point of time.

After the forcible merger to India, Manipur has been converted into a food dependent land as indigenous food production had become extinct.

As businessmen from outside invested huge money and grasped all economic opportunities of indigenous people, Manipur's traditional economy system has degenerated.

Just as big fish engulfed small fishes, colonial rulers destroyed native economy of occupied land and the main objective of imperialist India is to convert Manipur as their captive market after abolishing all local products.

While asserting that Loktak project is a big ploy to erase Manipur from the globe, the RPF statement said that construction of Ithai barrage for the project not only inundated 80,000 hectares of paddy fields under Loktak water but also prevented natural flow of fishes from Chindwin-Irrawaddy rivers of Myanmar to rivers of Manipur.

This is the main reason for extinction of 12 fish species native to Manipur, the outfit said.

While maintaining that abundant availability of different varieties of fish in Manipur from the early period till the construction of Loktak project was due to natural flow of water of rivers of Manipur and existence of numerous lakes, the RPF statement, while citing report of a survey, said that Manipur had around 500 lakes till early 20th century.

However, these lakes got vanished at very fast pace and there were only around 55 lakes in 1950s while Manipur at present has 17 lakes and two oxbow lakes only.

The main reason for rapid extinction of lakes in Manipur is implementation of special policy by Delhi 'bandits' to completely uproot indigenous people and constructions in the name of development after drying up lakes.

However, people of Manipur can revive the extinct lakes and escape from India's trap, the RPF statement said.

While giving other reasons for imposing ban on import of fish from outside, the RPF said that the ban will retain around Rs 300 crore expended annually oil purchasing fish from outside and this will be the first step towards self-sufficiency in fish production.

Manipur consumes approximately 52,000 metric tonnes of fish annually and local fish production is only around 32,000 metric tonnes while the remaining 20,000 metric tonnes of fish are imported from outside.

Import of 20,000 metric tonnes of fish from outside costs Manipur Rs 300 crore per year and this has been continuing since the past many years, the RPF statement said and maintained that the ban will be the first step towards preventing flow of huge money outside.

The RPF statement further said that increasing fish rearing activities in 80,000 hectares of land submerged under Loktak water and adoption of modern method of fish farming like biofloc would not only fill up the fish deficit when the ban becomes effective but also enable sale of surplus fish outside with profit.

The outfit also said that creating awareness among people about stopping fishing at breeding time is imperative.

While stating that another reason behind imposing ban on fish import is to prevent people from consuming chemically treated fishes, the RPF statement said that there had been report of harmful formalin (formaldehyde) found on imported fishes but how sincerely investigation in this regard was conducted remains questionable still.

It said that prolonged consumption of chemically treated imported Ashes could cause numerous diseases like cough, arthritis, skin problem, lung cancer and liver ailment.

Comment