Shops running low on essential commodities
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 03 2026: Subsequent upon prolonged economic blockade imposed on National Highway-2 (Imphal-Dimapur highway) by Kuki organisations followed by Naga groups, Manipur is now staring at acute shortage of essential commodities.

The issue is no longer price hike but total unavailability of goods.

Imphal-Jiribam road (NH-37) is open but the supply coming through the highway is quite limited and it takes not days but weeks for loaded trucks to reach Imphal from Jiribam.

During a random survey carried out by The Sangai Express, one Irungbam Nungshitombi who deals in imported fish or ice fish as is locally known said that loaded trucks take at least 25 days to one month to reach Imphal from their loading places.

Kuki bodies first imposed a prolonged shutdown on Imphal-Dimapur highway.

After the six Naga hostages were butchered by Kuki militants, Naga groups imposed an indefinite counter economic blockade on the same highway.

This has resulted in severe disruption to the supply of essential commodities and other goods to the State, Nungshitombi said.

Fishes imported from other States get spoiled on the way and the fishes are filled with maggots when they reach Imphal, she said.

It takes around Rs 22 lakh to import one truck load of fish and this includes the transportation cost.

As the journey takes too long to reach Imphal and large quantities of fish get spoiled on the way, even half of the total invested amount could not be recovered, she said.

Fishes which reached Imphal without getting spoiled totally were sold out at Rs 50/60 per Kg as they were no longer fresh and were in the process of getting rotten, Nungshitombi said.

Earlier when Imphal-Dimapur highway was open, a particular fish variety was sold at Rs 170 to Rs 175 per Kg.

When the same fish variety was imported through Imphal-Jiribam highway, the price was hiked to Rs 180 to 185 per Kg because of the higher transportation cost.

It is not only fish, supply of all other goods and commodities has been severely affected following the prolonged blockade on NH-2 and limited convoy movement on NH-37, she added.

She also sought immediate attention of the Government to the prolonged closure of the National Highway and its impacts on the State's economy.

One non-local shopkeeper said that they have been facing severe difficulties in shipping goods from outside the State on account of the prolonged shutdown imposed on the National Highway which was followed by economic blockade.

He said that trucks bringing goods from outside the State take 25 days to one month to reach Imphal.

As such, many items like potato, onion etc get perished on the way, he said.

The issue now is not price hike but total unavailability of goods.

As Imphal-Jiirbam highway is quite prone to landslides, transporters are also facing extreme difficulties, he said.

The shopkeeper appealed to the State Government to ensure uninterrupted and speedy supply of goods.

At present, onion is sold at 61 per Kg at Khwairambamd Keithel, potato at Rs 28 per Kg, garlic at Rs 180 per Kg, toor dal (mairongbi) at Rs 140 per Kg, kangtak at Rs 75 per Kg and masoor dal at Rs 90 to Rs 100 per Kg .

However, some shopkeepers have been selling these items at prices convenient to them.

At the same time, the volume of the vegetable market is also shrinking.

While the volume of vegetables produced in the State is dwindling as the summer season is coming to an end and winter vegetables are yet to hit markets, there is little or no supply from outside the State.

Many racks of big stores and malls are also now empty.

Some staff of Vishal Mart said that there has been no regular supply of goods since the imposition of total shutdown and economic blockade on NH-2 .

They added that they have been trying to fill the racks of their store with whatever items that reach Imphal once in a while along NH-37 .

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