In the upcoming ‘Ningol Chakouba’ festival people will be able to buy fresh ‘Sareng’ (Wallago Attu) instead of buying ice packed ‘Sareng’, director of department of fisheries, Heisnam Balkrisna Singh said on Tuesday.
Singh was speaking to the media while releasing 2,500 Sareng fingerlings imported from Yangon, Myanmar at the fish farm of Chungkham Gopeshwor Singh at Wangoi Makha Leikai, Imphal West on Monday.
Balkrisna said that for years the state has been buying Sareng from outside the state as the fish has been a part of cultural and tradition of the state.
To reduce the import of the fish from outside the state, rearing of Sareng has started and has been increasing under the guidance and support from the department of fisheries since last year, he added.
He said the state government has already declared to give 50 per cent subsidy while rearing Sareng according to the fish production.
The fingerlings which were released at the fish farm of Gopeshwor are imported from Yangon, brought through air from Yangon to Mandalay and from Mandalay to Imphal though by-road, he added.
Earlier, the fingerlings of Sareng were first imported from Bangladesh but the fingerlings could be imported from Yangon also, said Balkrisna.
He said any fish farmers who want to rear Sareng can contact the progressive farmers or the concerned department.
Chungkham Gopeshwor said that in the coming Ningol Chakouba festival over 5,000 kg Sareng will be produced. At present, he has around 4,000 Sarengs in his farm including 2,500 fingerlings that were released on Monday.
He said he started rearing Sareng in 2021 and the fish now weigh 2.5 kg to 3 kg.
