6000 Kgs of Meitei Sareng eyed for Ningol Chakkouba

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Oct 12 : Over 6000 Kgs of Meitei Sareng are likely to be put on sale at the Annual Fish Fair-Cum-Fish Crop Competition which would be held on the eve of Ningol Chakkouba festival this year.
42-year-old Laimujam Dinamani of Tentha Khunou Maning Leikai, Thoubal district is planning to put on sale over 6000 Kgs of Meitei Sareng at the fish fair.
L Dinamani is a progressive fish farmer and his farm covers an area of around seven hectares.
He has been rearing different varieties of fish including indigenous varieties like Meitei Sareng.
Fish farming is a huge success for Dinamani he has been earning around Rs 40 lakh in a year.
Speaking to The Sangai Express, Laimujam Dinamani said that his father Laimujam Ram Singh was also a fish farmer and he started the trade of fish farming as an apprentice to his father.
Dinamani said that he took charge of a fish farm in 2002.
During the initial years, fish farming was done in traditional methods and it was limited to feeding fishes.
He said that he switched to scientific methods of fish farming in 2016-17 and it considerably raised the fish yield.
With a conviction to regenerate and rear Meitei Sareng, Dinamani went to Kolkata in 2021 and bought Sareng fingerlings.
He bought Sareng fingerlings at Rs 120-150 per piece.
A few kilograms of Meitei Sareng were put on display in an  aquarium in the Ningol Chakkouba fish fair of 2021.
Dinamani said that he started selling Meitei Sareng to the public at Rs 1200 per Kg fixed by the Fisheries Department in the fish fair held in 2022.
He said that he was able to produce a little over 2000 Kgs of Meitei Sareng at the particular fish fair.
Meitei Sareng production rose to 2600 Kgs in 2023.
Even though no fish fair was held in the particular year on account of the widespread violence which erupted on May 3, many customers came to the farm and directly bought Meitei Sareng on the eve of Imoinu Iratpa festival.
Meitei Sareng production at the Ningol Chakkouba fish fair of 2024 jumped to over 4000 Kgs and it was sold at the rate fixed by the Government (Rs 1200 per Kg).
A little over 5000 Kgs of Meitei Sareng were produced at the Ningol Chakkouba fish fair of 2025 and it was sold at Rs 1100 per Kg.
Dinamani said that he is planning to produce around 6000 Kgs of Meitei Sareng in the upcoming Ningol Chakkouba fish fair and it will be sold at the price fixed by the Government.
Dinamani’s fish farm has 16 large ponds and four smaller ones.
Apart from Grass Carp, Rohu, Mrigal, Catla and Silver Carp, he has also been rearing several fish varieties including Meitei Sareng, Ngaton, Pengba, Ngamu, Ngakra, Ukabi, Ngapai and Tunghanbi.
Dinamani said that former Chief Minister N Biren made an announcement at a National Fish Farmers’ Day observation held at the Department of Fishery, Lamphelpat on July 10, 2021.
N Biren announced that fish farmers rearing Meitei Sareng will be given 50 per cent subsidy but no fish farmers has received any subsidy from the State Government till date, he said.
Laimujam Dinamani won the first prize in the Annul Fish Fair-cum-Fish Crop Competition 2022 for producing 22 Kgs of fish.
He won the third prize twice in 2024 and 2025.
Dinamani is also employing four other persons in his fish farm. They are given a daily wage of Rs 300 to Rs 400 per day.