Formalin-Free Fish in State Markets; Workshop on ‘Stress-Free Fish Transport’ Held in Agartala

News Report: No presence of formalin has been detected so far in the state’s fish markets, informed Santosh Das, Director of the Tripura Fisheries Department. On Wednesday, a one-day workshop on “Stress-Free Fish Transport System” was held at P.N. Complex in the state capital, Agartala. The event was organized by the Tripura Fisheries Department in collaboration with the ICAR–Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (ICAR-CIFRI), Barrackpore. The primary objective of the workshop was to introduce various fisheries stakeholders to the eco-friendly technology developed by ICAR-CIFRI, enabling safe and damage-free transportation of live fish and supporting livelihood improvement. The event was attended by ICAR-CIFRI Director Dr. B. K. Das, Tripura Fisheries Department Director Santosh Das, Associate Professor of Agartala College of Fisheries, along with 90 representatives including fish farmers, hatchery owners, fish transporters, and traders from all eight districts of Tripura. A demonstration of ICAR-CIFRI’s herbal anesthetic product ‘CIFRI-Fish Tanavhari’ was also conducted during the workshop. Experts stated that although this product is used during fish capture and transportation, it causes no side effects to the fish’s health and helps them return to normal condition quickly. In his address, Director Dr. B. K. Das said, “The stress-free fish transport technology is capable of providing a reliable solution to farmers’ problems. Similar workshops will also be conducted in Guwahati and other states across the country.” Additionally, ICAR-CIFRI Chief Scientist Dr. H. Choudhury presented the development history of ‘CIFRI-Fish Tanavhari’ and demonstrated its practical application. Officials from Glaxo Pvt. Ltd. also shared their views on the product’s effectiveness in the market. A total of 120 bottles of ‘CIFRI-Fish Tanavhari’ (100 ml each) were distributed among the stakeholders. At the end of the programme, all attendees praised ICAR-CIFRI’s innovative initiatives and its contributions to improving fish transportation systems.