Fish fair: Kayisii bats for increased water bodies
Source: The Sangai Express / DIPR

Imphal, October 29 2019: As held on the eve of Ningol Chakkouba festival every year in a bid to encourage fish farmers of the State, Fisheries Minister N Kayisii inaugurated annual Fish Fair cum Fish Crop Competition 2019, under the aegis of Fisheries Department at DM College of Arts ground today.

Speaking as the chief guest at the event, Minister Kayisii stated that fish production in the State has increased year after year as the department gave its best efforts to meet the 52,000 metric tonnes annual requirement of fish in Manipur.

The Minister also said that fishery activities have to be taken up both in the hills and valley to meet the fish requirements of the State.

Fish fair: Kayisii bats for increased water bodies

Despite lack of adequate funds under State Plan, the Fisheries Department is trying its best to explore ways and means to meet the fund requirements.

Many new initiatives have been planned and taken up by the department, including pro-ject proposals for retail fish outlets, retail fish markets, hatcheries, cage culture, fish feed mills, low cost housing and insurance for fish farmers etc, he added.

Asserting that Manipur has the potential to become one of the leading fish producing States in the country, the Minister also stressed on the need for increasing the present water bodies used for fisheries by around 10-20 per cent for an increased production.

Unlike previous years, certificates of participation will be distrHundreds stage integrity ralliesibuted to every participating fish farmers this year.

The certificate holders will be accorded special preferences for schemes or grants by the department in future, Kayisii added.

Noting the close relation of fish with Ningol Chak-kouba, Kayisii also exten- ded warm Ningol Chak-kouba wishes to the gathering.

The fish fair inaugural function was also attended by T Robindro Singh, Chairman, PDA, and Letkhogin Haokip, Addl Chief Secretary (TA & Hills) as the guest of honour and functional president respectively.

Speaking to The Sangai Express, one customer at the fair, James Golmei of Mahabali area, said that he came to buy fish as his daughter was coming home for Ningol Chakkouba tomorrow.

He said that this was his first time to visit such a fish mela but he said that the people were a little inconvenienced by the muddy filed at the venue which was caused by the recent rainfall.

He also expressed desire for the mela to be organised at another location or area which is be cleaner, in the future.

A fish seller at the mela, Salam Borobabu s/o Salam Ibopishak of Khurai Nandeibam Leikai said that this is his first time he was selling fish in the mela but he lamented that the customers were very low.

He said that even after a long time in the mela, he has been able to sell only about 15 Kgs of fish out of the total 130 Kgs he brought with him.

As such, he informed that he will try to sell off the fish through other means and at another location later.

Borobabu further said that he is an integrated farmer and plants ginger and turmeric apart from rearing fishes.

He said that he began rearing fish since 2013 and added that he will try to produce bigger fishes to sell in the next mela.