State to monitor ‘fishy’ imports

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Bhubaneswar: Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Minister Pradeep Maharathy Thursday issued a direction to the fisheries department to test fish being brought in from neighbouring states for chemicals harmful to health, such as formalin.
The state government’s direction has come in the wake of the Assam government imposing a 10-day ban on import of fish from Andhra Pradesh and other states July 10.
Maharathy told reporters here that he had come across the report about the ban on import of fish from Andhra Pradesh that Assam had imposed after detecting traces of formalin in them. “After coming to know that such dangerous chemicals are being used by fish dealers in Andhra Pradesh to preserve fish for longer, I have asked the fisheries secretary and directorate to look into the matter and with the help of experts, investigate the quality of fish being imported to Odisha.”
“The fish brought from Andhra Pradesh would be sent to a laboratory for comprehensive testing by a team of experts. The state government will take drastic action if the report is positive for harmful agents,” Maharathy said.
The minister said the secretary of the fisheries department has been directed to inquire into the matter and submit a report. “An experts’ team will be constituted for this purpose,” he said.
Health and Family Welfare minister Pratap Jena also said that his department will conduct a thorough investigation of the matter.
Meanwhile, consumers in the state are worried by the possibility of harmful chemicals being present in fish. “I heard the news that cancer-causing chemicals are present in the fish imported from Andhra Pradesh. We will not be able to find out whether the fish we are buying has come from Andhra Pradesh or not. So, I have decided to stop buying fish until the government ensures that the fish available in the market is eatable,” Manaswini Panda, a housewife, said.