28 March 2012 Table 3. Fish consumption pattern in Northeastern States States Regular fish eating Occasional fish Non fish eating Total population (%) consumers (%) population (%) population Assam 90 0 10 26638407 Arunachal Pradesh 97 2 1 1097968 Nagaland 99 0.50 0.50 1988636 Mizoram 10 90 0 891058 Tripura 95 0 5 3291000 Meghalaya 90 0 10 2306069 Sikkim 10 70 20 525000 Manipur 80 10 10 2334000 Northeast (average) 87.58 3.67 8.75 39072138 Table 4. Per capita availability of fish in Northeastern states States Per capita availability of fish (kg/year) As Reported As Calculated1 Assam 7.30 6.79 Arunachal Pradesh 2.40 2.42 Nagaland 3.55 2.80 Mizoram 3.22 4.13 Tripura 5.50 5.46 Meghalaya 5.00 2.23 Sikkim 1.06 0.27 Manipur 8.40 7.54 Northeast (average) 6.58 5.98 1Per capita availability of fish was calculated by dividing the total production of 2003-04 by the total population as per Census 2001. In case of Tripura, production is reported to have increased and hence per capita availability Table 5. Amount of fish imported to Northeastern States States Amount Percentage of Value of fish/ (t/annum) Northeast total year @ US$ 1.10 /kg Assam 12720 33.18 63.60 Arunachal 4500 11.74 22.50 Pradesh Nagaland 3600 9.39 18.00 Mizoram 720 1.88 3.60 Tripura 3000 7.82 15.00 Meghalaya 6000 15.65 30.00 Sikkim 2400 6.26 12.00 Manipur 5400 14.08 27.00 Northeast (Total) 38340 100 191.70 region, though Mizoram imports only 720 t. Total fish production of the region is 233,709 t with a deficiency of 196,163 t (Table 6). Fish production is greatest in Assam (180,950 t) and least in Sikkim (140 t). Increasing Aquaculture Production Fish produced in the local area fetch almost 50-100% higher price as compared to fish imported from places such as Andhra Pradesh because of the quality difference. Transport of fish from Andhra Pradesh to various parts of northeastern India requires almost seven days. Changes in biochemical composition of fish preserved in ice contribute to quality decline and, thereby, greater demand for local fish. Further, resources available in the region are not fully exploited for aquaculture and, in areas where water resources are used for aquaculture, productivity is far below potential. Data related to area availability and utility for aquaculture is presented in Table 7. The productivity level obtained by farmers in the region as a whole is far less than the national average of 2400 kg/ha per year. Most farmers in Tripura state stock fish at a very high density, apply manure and chemical fertilizers at a very low rate, and feed fish irregularly. As a result, the average productivity of the farmers is only 1400 kg/ha per year. Though some states have reported the presence of integrated farming systems with better productivity, there are very few good examples of such practices. Rice-fish culture has enormous potential in the region, but is restricted to a few areas. Poor farmers are also confronted with many challenges, though they understand the potential of aquaculture. Among these challenges are social issues, such as poaching and poisoning, which are considered to be the biggest problems encountered by the majority of farmers. Hence, there is a need to provide technical support to farmers to increase aquaculture productivity, but also develop mechanisms to reduce the risk of crop loss to farmers, such as constructing fences.
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