Imphal: The Annual Fish Fair Cum Fish Crop Competition, 2021, organized by the Department of Fisheries, Government of Manipur was held with the production of around 90,000 kg of different varieties of fish including indigenous varieties at Mapal Kangjeibung Friday.
Chief Minister N. Biren Singh opened the fair, which was organized to coincide with the Ningol Chakkouba festival. This year’s special attraction of the fair was the live display of Sareng (catfish) indigenously grown in Manipur. Around 100 fish farmers took part in the fair which had 100 stalls.
Speaking at the occasion as the chief guest, N. Biren Singh urged all concerned to put in best efforts to enhance Sareng production as it is the most preferred variety in the State. Stating that fish production has increased a lot in the State in the past few years, the Chief Minister pointed out that the target is to achieve self-sufficiency. For this, the Chief Minister said, the State Government has been putting in the best possible efforts by supporting the fish farmers with loans and Start-Up schemes.
Likewise, Loktak Livelihood Mission was also launched for this purpose. However, the mission could not achieve the intended objective as of now due to the COVID pandemic, he said. He however expressed hope that the Department of Fisheries would leave no stone unturned in making the mission successful. He also expressed confidence that Manipur would become self-sufficient in fish production very soon.
Extending warm greetings to the Ningols and people of Manipur on the occasion of Ningol Chakkouba, he also asked the Police Department to check traffic rule violations to avoid unwanted road mishaps.
In his speech, Fishery Minister S. Rajen said that the Annual Fish Fair cum Crop Competition is held every year to coincide with the unique and biggest festival of Ningol Chakkouba. With the constant efforts of the Department of Fisheries, fish production had witnessed a significant hike in the past few years, he added. As Sareng is a favourite variety in Manipur, the State Government launched Manipur Sareng Project in July this year with an objective to make fresh Sareng available to the people of the State. Stating that the project is being run successfully, the Chief Minister said that Sareng weighing around 1 kg could be showcased in this year’s fair.
Agriculture Minister O. Lukhoi, TA and Hills Minister Vungzagin Valte, Deputy Speaker K. Robindro, Manipur Pollution Control Board Chairman L. Radhakishore, Manipur Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Board Chairman H. Dingo, Advisor to CM P. Brojen, Commissioner (Fishery) M. Harekrishna and Director (Fishery) H. Balkrisna also attended the function.
It may be mentioned that the annual fish requirement of the State is about 56,000 MT while only about 33,000 MT is being produced by the fish farmers annually. As such, there is a production deficit of around 23,000 MT, and around Rs. 4 crore is spent annually in importing fish to make up this deficit.
Rs. 1 lakh was awarded to the first prize winner of the Fish Crop competition while Rs. 70,000 and Rs. 50,000 were given to second and third prize winners. Moreover, Rs. 10,000 each was awarded to selected fish farmers as consolation prizes. Rs. 20,000 was also given to the fish farmer who produced the maximum quantity of indigenous fish variety.
