35000 kgs of Pengba and Ngaton to be sold at Ningol Chakkouba Fish Fair
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 17 2016: S Tomba and Sons Pengba Farm at Hiyangthang targets to exhibit about 35000 kilograms of Pengba and Ngaton at the forthcoming Fish Fair to be held on the eve of Ningol Chakkouba.

S Tomba and Sons Penba Farm was the winner of last year's fish crop competition organised by the Department of Fisheries as part of the Ningol Chakkouba Fish Fair.

Speaking to The Sangai Express today, proprietor Soibam Surchandra said he will exhibit about 35000 kgs of Pengba and Ngaton at the upcoming fish fair.

Last year, Pengba and Ngaton were sold at Rs 650 per kg as set by the Department of Fisheries.

Outside the fair, Pengba is sold at Rs 1000 per kg while Ngaton is sold for Rs 800 per kg, he said.

35000 kgs of Pengba and Ngaton to be sold at Ningol Chakkouba Fish Fair

"We also rear fishes like Rahu, Catala and Mrigal.

The biggest of these fishes are sold at Rs 250 per kg", he said.

Other varieties of fishes like grass carp, silver carp and common carp are sold at a much lesser price (between Rs 110 to 250 per kg), he said.

Surchandra's S Tomba and Sons Penba Farm is build on a land measuring 8 paris.

The farm has a separate pond for each fish varieties and has a specially developed hatchery for fry and fingerling production.

The farm employs 8 persons to manage the farm and to look after the fishes.

Annually, the farm earns about Rs 40 to 50 lakh by selling about 35 to 40 tons of fishes, he said.

The farm supplies its produce to 110 women fish vendors from the surrounding villages like Ningombam, Kodompokpi, Meitram, Lairenjam and Malom.

Soibam Surchandra has a post graduate diploma in Fisheries Science (PGDCS) from CIFE, Mumbai.

His farm was established in 1981 at Hiyangthang Mamang Leikai.

He began rearing Pengba somewhere between 1984 to 85 .

In 2002, for the first time after years of patience, he sold about 100 kgs of Pengba at a fish fair.

Since then Surchandra's production chart has only seen upward curves.

Between 2007 and 2008 he produced 5000 kgs of Pengba; between 2009 to 2010 the production rose to 10000 kgs.

Last year at the fish fair, he won the fish crop competition for producing the largest number of indigenous fish (17,000 kgs of Pengba) .

Presently, Surchandra has employed 40 extra workers at his farm to make sure he retains the largest indigenous fish producer title.