Prices of local fish hiked as chalani fish disappear in State

 STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Imported (chalani) fish almost disappeared from the markets in the state, and consumers have to pay through their noses to buy local fish.

With the food inspectors swung into action to check the contaminants of imported fish, the wholesale traders stopped short of releasing imported fish to the markets. Most of the fish-laden trucks from outside the state have lined up at the Srirampur Check Gate.

The State Fishery Department, on the other hand, asked for conducting in-depth research and inquiry about the presence of formalin in imported fish at the Zoology Department of Gauhati University, the Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, the College of Fisheries, Raha, and the College of Veterinary Science.

The department also asked the Zoology Department of Nowgong College to send their findings on imported fish to the four aforesaid institutions so as to reach a conclusion. “As the matter concerns serious human health issues, we are also very worried over it. We need the detailed findings of your research work for necessary follow-up action,” the department said.

A retailer at Paltan Bazar Fish Market said, “We have not been getting imported fish since yesterday. The prices of local fish, mainly bhokua (catla) and rou (rohu), have been hiked by Rs 50–60 per kg.”

A fish retailer in the Ganeshguri market said, “We were in the dark if the imported fish we sold had formalin. We bought them from wholesalers and sold them. A section of retailers sell imported fish by projecting them as local ones. They take advantage of many customers who cannot distinguish local fish from their imported counterparts.”

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