Now Manipur bans sale of imported fish

Our Correspondent Imphal, July 1 (EMN): The Manipur government has started to ban the sale of iced packed fish imported from outside the state. The ban came to effective after the state authorities found traces of formalin in the imported fishes. The nodal officer for food safety of Manipur health services, Ch Sanajaoba Meitei, has issued an order in this regard. It directed that the sale of iced packed fishes containing traces of formalin is “not allowed in the entire state for consumption by public until further orders.” The Manipur state Fishery department conducted an investigation to determine the possibility of formalin present in fish products imported from outside the state following the reports of the seizure of huge quantity of fish products in the markets of neighbouring states of Nagaland, Kerala, and other states. The authority confirmed traces of formalin in the surveillance samples of imported iced pack fish products. As a result, the government has instructed to impose a ban not only on sales of iced packed fish products containing formalin but also declared the same products unsafe for consumption as it is hazardous to health, the state officials said. Manipur is a major fish consuming state. The state authorities are closely working with central food technological institute to bring out a testing kit at a reasonable price for public distribution to find the presence of formalin, they added. According to state Fisheries department data, the state consumes around 52,000 metric tons of fish annually. And of the total quantity, the state produces around 32,000 metric tons while the remaining 20,000 metric tons are imported from outside the state.