Manipur Fisheries Minister H Dingo Singh said on Monday that around 3,000 kilograms of ‘Manipur Sareng‘, also known as Wallago Attu, will be available at the 44th Fish Fair held in Ningol Chakouba Festival.
The minister disclosed this during a meeting on Monday in his office conference room at New Secretariat Building, Babupara, Imphal. Dingo said the department intends to put about 1 lakh kg of different kinds of fish for sale during the 44th Fish Fair cum Fish crop Competition to be held in Hatta Kangjeibung on Wednesday.
About 200 farmers from 16 different regions are expected to attend the said fish fair. Dingo said as many as 155 stalls will be open to attendees for free and the travel expenses of fish farmers will be reimbursed. Apart from the common types of fish that are readily available in the market, fish such as Pengba/Khabak; Ngaton; Ngahei; Ukabi (Anabus); Porom (Murrel) and Tunghanbi (Tilapia) will be sold in the fish market, Dingo added.
The Minister further said that fish production has increased significantly compared to previous years. The department managed to produce 1.25 kilograms this year compared to 90,000 kilograms last year, he said. The minister said that with the increasing number of fishermen and adoption of new technology, the state can achieve self-sufficiency in fishing by the year 2025.
Director of Fisheries Department Heisnam Balkrishna Singh said that the department, for the welfare of the public, has fixed reasonable prices for the sale of fish during the fish fair. He said that in this competition, the first prize winner will receive a prize of one lakh rupees and a certificate while the second and third place will receive seventy thousand and fifty thousand rupees with a certificate.There will be consolation prizes of Rs 20,00 each.
The best indigenous fish producer will get a cash prize of Rs 20,000. Best District Fishery officers will also be given incentives.
H Balkrishna said the price of Sareng weighing between 750 g and 1 kg will be fixed at Rs 1200. He said that the price of Sareng is high because farmers are forced to spend a lot of money to rear Sareng fish.
Unlike other types of fish, raising Sareng fish is expensive because it does not eat normal feeds. Sareng survives by eating fingerlings. A lot of money is incurred when importing Sareng finger from other countries like Myanmar. The department is working to provide Sareng at affordable prices by increasing the production of fingerlings for Sareng food, he added.
The director also remind that the department has been running such fishing competitions since 1979.