A CORRESPONDENT
RANGIA: Rangia has a unique market which starts at the wee hours when most of the people are in their beds and ends in the morning. The market starts in the early hours of the night at Village Balagaon near Rangia town under Kamrup district of Assam on the bank of river Barolia. The market is not a general market and only different types of fish seeds are sold in this market which brings a ray of hope for the rural unemployed youth.
Ruhul Amin, who has been managing the fish seed market since the last ten years, informed that the fish seeds market started in 1985 in a small scale and now has expanded in a big way where daily 5000-6000 people rush to the market seeking variety of fish seeds mainly of Rohu, Catla, Mrigal, Singhi, Magur, Chital, and new fish like Pabda and Gulsa ( Tingra).
Annually, both the quantity and variety of fish seeds are also increasing. The air-breathing fish seed has a good demand in this market and many rural youths are doing small-scale fish culture in cemented and earthen tanks. Daily, on an average, 50 trucks of fish seeds are transported from this market where the volume of seed is around 150-200 Quintals daily. Seeds for pacu and pangus fish species are also abundantly available in this fish seed market which is termed as the largest fish seed market in Assam. The market is visited by buyers and sellers from various parts of the North East. The market exports fish seeds to Arunachal, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram, Meghalaya as well as various parts of North and South Assam.
Amin added, "Recently, Dr Sanjay Sarma, District Fishery Development Officer, Kamrup, visited the market and was overwhelmed to see the potentiality of the market." He told the Sentinel that the Rangia fish seed market is crucial for the growth and sustainability of aquaculture, directly impacting fish farmers' profitability and food security. It provides the foundation for fish farming, enabling the production of marketable fish through successful breeding, hatching, and rearing of seeds.
This market can engage up to five hundred local youths directly and another five hundred indirectly and benefit large numbers of local fish seed farmers of this locality, mainly Chirakhundi, Dwarkuchi, Kekorrikuchi, Jamtola, Khudra Garkona, Pathaikuchi, etc.
"The outside fish farmers and fish traders also come frequently to this market," informed the District Fishery Officer. He said that the market will benefit the fish farmers if quality fish seeds are sold. The market has directly and indirectly shown the path of self-reliance to thousands of unemployed people in the North East. He has proposed the development of the market from the government fund to construct a market shed, rest room for the fish farmers, and a canteen. He is also of the opinion of maintaining the hygienic environment of the market.
The market has locally-produced fish seeds from neighbouring states of West Bengal and some parts of southern Assam.
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