Meghalaya bans fish from outside as tests reveal formalin presence

Meghalaya Government on June 8 issued an order banning sale of fish brought in from outside the State for a period of 15 days after sample test of river water fishes shipments showed presence of formalin, an official said. "Storage, distribution or sale of imported fresh fish or crustaceans brought from outside the State is hereby prohibited for a period of 15 days in the interest of public health or till corrective measures are taken with effect from the date of issue of this notification," FSSAI commissioner R.M. The State ships in about 21,000 MT of fishes mostly from Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Assam. The State produced only about 12,330 MT during financial year 2016-17 while the total requirement is about 33,000 MT annually, a senior supply department official said.