Ngari manufacturing units need to comply with food safety rules
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 01 2013: In order to maintain a standard, the whole process of manufacturing ngari, the most ubiquitous food component of Meitei community, needs to follow proper food safety rules.

Talking exclusively with The Sangai Express, some ngari wholesale dealers of Khwairamband market candidly admitted the necessity of keeping a standard as far as the process of manufacturing ngari is concerned.

60 year old Maisnam Ibomcha of Nambol Bazar said that their family has been engaged in the profession of manufacturing ngari since the time of his father Maisnam Modhumangol.

Saying that they have been following exactly all the process (of manufacturing ngari) prescribed by his father, Ibomcha said that the interior side of pots used in fermentation of phabou are first smeared with pure mustard oil.

Then phabou washed with clean water thoroughly is put into the pots in such a manner that there is no leakage of air or moisture.

The pots thus filled tightly with phabou are covered with clay before the pots are buried under earth for a period of eight months during which the phabou gets fermented and turns into ngari.

Ngaris on sale

About 30 years back, a particular fish oil available in Bangladesh was used for oiling the interior of ngari pots.

But these days, the particular fish oil has become very scarce.

A ngari pot tied well without leaving any room for leakage of air can be preserved for two/three years.

"But ngaris preserved longer than three years would start losing its temperature as well as taste.

This is our professional experience", Ibomcha said.

Most of the phabous used for manufacturing ngari in Manipur are bought from dry fish market of Jagirod, Assam at the rate of Rs 10 lakh per truck load.

Around 400 to 500 pots of phabous are processed for fermentation in one batch.

Generally, one truck load of phabou can fetch a profit of Rs 2.5 lakh when it is fermented and turned into ngari.

However, if one takes into account the labour cost and time spent, the profit margin comes down much lower.

For manufacturing ngari, one has to possess licence issued by the Imphal Municipal Council and certificates issued by relevant DICs, In addition, ngari manufacturing units are required to comply with the rules of the Food Safety and Standard Act 2006, Ibomcha said.

Once an MLA publicly stated that Urea (fertilizer) was used in the manufacturing process of ngari in order to make the phabous ferment and turn into ngari within a much shorter time period.

But when ngari manufacturers appealed to every consumer through media to point out if any shop was selling ngaris fermented with the help of Urea, nobody can point any shop till date.

Even today some people have been saying that Urea is used in manufacturing ngari.

This is really disheartening to all scrupulous ngari manufacturers, Ibomcha decried.

He further advised all fellow ngari manufacturers not to adulterate edible items in any manner.

Earlier, it was only the Meiteis who were engaged in manufacturing ngari but since the past few years some tribal people and Muslims have taken up the profession.

Price of ngari varies between Rs 100, Rs 150, Rs 200 and Rs 400 per Kg.

The variance in price corresponds to the quality of phabou used in manufacturing ngari.

Phabous which emit oil when heated are assumed as good raw materials for manufacturing ngari.

Those which do not emit oil or get burnt completely taken to be of inferior quality, Ibomcha elucidated.

Okram Indrajit from Singjamei Oinam Thingel said that officials of the Manipur Science and Technology Council (MASTEC) visited their ngari manufacturing unit, collected samples of the raw materials and checked their quality.

He went on to claim that he has been producing only quality products.