Assam: Ban lifted but imported fish yet to reach markets

21 July 2018:

The ten-day ban in Assam on imported fish ended on Friday but the denizens of Guwahati have not yet got the chance to devour the fish varieties of Andhra Pradesh and other states. The reason being imported fish not reaching the markets yet.

According to some fish sellers of Guwahati, the imported fish would start reaching the markets, possibly from Sunday.

Nagen Das, a seller of local fish, said he is going through a difficult phase of his business.

"I am facing a lot of problems. First, the production of local fish is very less. Secondly, not many people come to buy it as the prices at source have gone up,” he told INSIDENE.

Earlier, the officials of the state’s public health laboratory said: “From Saturday, on the spot testing of imported fish will be done with mobile kits in every part of Assam”.

Minister Pijush Hazarika said although the ban had been lifted, drives to detect the presence of formalin-laced fish would be carried out randomly in the markets across the state. The ban was imposed following the detection of formalin in imported fish.