Fish vendors of Khwairamband Ima Keithel on Wednesday asserted that Manipur produces enough local fishes to meet the demand of the people in Manipur. The vendors also stated that the fluctuation in prices of fishes was a normal routine in the business chain and that fish farmers and other fish business owners should not hike prices according to whims and hearsay.
Speaking to the media at Khwairamband Ima Keithel number one, Imphal, fish vendor Khongbantabam Lairentombi stated that the recent decline in imported fishes was an opportune moment to boost the fish market and economy in Manipur. “We should take this moment to switch from imported fishes to the local varieties to encourage the growth of local fish farmers,” she said.
She further clarified that the recent news report regarding the price hike of local fishes was totally baseless and that such unfounded claims affected the business chain. “Come to the local fish market and survey if the prices are unreasonably high. People who do not deal in local fishes should abstain from making such statements,” she said. She pointed out that imported fishes were one of the main reasons for overwhelming the local fish sector.
We can definitely use this decline in import to maximize the growth of the local fish business, she added. She stated that spreading biased rumours about the business could create unwanted friction between the vendors and the fish farmers. As such she urged people not to believe in such rumours and reiterated that there was no shortage in availability of local fish.