Assam produced 3.93 lakh MT of fish in 2020-21 while the fish production in 2021-22 is around 4.32 lakh MT. Yet, the state has to import 12-1countries to meet its daily fish requirement. The Fishery Department in Assam does not have any proper policy to check fish prices, and incidents of fish smuggling from other states and covary from market to market in Guwahati and there is no regulation across Assam as well.
A senior official of the Fishery Department talking to G Plus on the condition of anonymity said, “There is no policy at present to check fish prices in Assam.” The official further added that a committee was formed recently headed by the Director of Fisheries to formulate a policy which will help regulate fish prices in the market and also stop fish smuggling.
In April 2022, The Departmentally Related Standing Committee (DRSC) of the Assam Legislative Assembly, in its 24th report on the State Fisheries Department, recommended that the department should constitute a Task Force to stop illegal fish from being brought into the State from Bangladesh, especially in districts bordering Bangladesh, with support from the district administration.
A source in the Fishery Department said that Hilsa is imported from West Bengal, Tripura or bordering areas of Barak Valley. “The price of Hilsa is high when brought from West Bengal because it comes legally, whereas when it is brought from Tripura or Barak Valley, the price is low as it enters India illegally from Bangladesh,” said the official adding that once fish from both areas reaches any market it is impossible to differentiate whether it has been brought legally or illegally.
But the quality of the fish varies, which consumers mostly do not understand, said the official. “There is no mechanism to identify the difference,” said the official. The fish brought illegally is sold at a lower price whereas the fish brought legally is sold at a higher price; therefore there is a difference in the price of the fish in many markets. On enquiring why the consignment is not caught while getting transported illegally, the official explained that the fishery department does not check the consignment.
“The Agriculture Marketing Board checks the consignment and the agriculture tax is paid by the smugglers while transporting,” said the source, adding that there is a lack of coordination between the fishery department and the agriculture marketing board. The policy which the committee is formulating will take care of these irregularities so that the smuggling of fish can be checked, said the source.
The Fisheries Department, while considering the importance of the issue, instructed the District Fishery Development Officers of all districts, especially the bordering districts of Assam and Bangladesh like Cachar, Hailakandi, Karimganj and Dhubri to examine the matter related to fish coming illegally from Bangladesh and to take necessary initiatives to stop such illegal practices in coordination with the respective district administration, said the source but it seems it has not helped much.
Most of the districts reported that illegal fish from Bangladesh could not be detected but the Cachar district has reported action like seizing of such illegal fish in some markets, said the source. Few other districts intimated that periodic visits to the markets and trading points with customs officials would be helpful to keep a record and stop such illegal practices. Talking about local fish, even there the price is not regulated as the fish comes to Guwahati’s wholesale markets from many districts.
The transportation cost from every district is different and even the fishermen sell fish at different prices. Therefore, it is difficult to fix the price of the fish, said another official of the Fishery Department. The policy which is being drafted will take care of all these issues and check the fish price, said the official. It needs to be mentioned that Assam produced 3.93 lakh MT fish in 2020-21 while the fish production in 2021-22 is around 4.32 lakh MT.
Yet, Assam has to import 12-15 MT of fish every day from other States to meet its daily fish requirement. Of all the fish imported, some are brought legally and some are smuggled, creating a price difference in the markets. The Departmentally Related Standing Committee (DRSC) of the Assam Legislative Assembly submitted its report on the smuggling of fish in April 2022 but till now the policy by the fishery department has not been formulated.