IMPHAL, June 9: Just next to agriculture, fishery is the second most important occupation in the state and around 95 per cent of the people eat fish.
However, the fishermen of the state are now multiple problems and fish production has come down due to the state government’s apathy.
This was stated by H Kangjamba, vice president of National Association of Fishermen, New Delhi (NAF) and ex-minister while talking to IFP.
In other states he said, fishermen are provided with proper smallfish, fish food, water pump sets, facility in digging fish ponds and, grant and subsidy in time by their respective governments.
Besides these, fishermen are also provided with modern scientific technology and that they are given training on how to produce more fish. Such activities are carried out in 16 states where NAF branches are established.
On the contrary in Manipur where NAF unit has also been set up, all such activities are not carried out by neither the concerned authorities nor the Fishery Department, Kangjamba lamented.
As a result of the indifferent attitude of the government fish products in the state are decreasing day by day and the people are now deprived of their hunger to have indigenous fishes which have become endangered fishes, he added.
People in the state have now opted to eat dry fish mostly from Gujarat and Assam and fresh fish from other places like Kerala, Hyderabad and Vishakhapatnam, Kangjamba noted.
As a matter of fact, most of the fish from outside states are now losing their taste and causing frequent illness like diarrhea as the temperature in the state has increased, he said.
The Fishery Department of Manipur had advised in a public notification not to eat fish kept in ice longer than one week.
Informing that the current number of members the state NAF unit has increased by 1500, Kangjamba said efforts are on to develop the overall condition of the state fishermen. The NAF is also trying to equip the state fishermen with modern technology. A Group Accident Insurance Scheme for the fishermen is also in the offing, he added.