Staff Reporter
Guwahati: On the eve of Uruka, the first day of Magh Bihu marked by community feasts as well as feasting at home, the markets are filled with fish, eggs, meat, and milk products sourced from outside the state. Although production of fish, eggs, meat, and milk has increased to a certain degree, Assam still has a long way to go before it is self-sufficient in these items. The shortfall in fish is, however, not to the extent of the other products.
According to Veterinary Department sources, the production of milk, meat, and eggs increased hardly by 3 percent in a decade. The milk production in the state in 2011-12 was 838 million tonnes that increased to 1,004 million tonnes in 2020-21 and 1,112 million tonnes in 2023-24. Likewise, the number of eggs produced in the state in 2011-12 was 487 million, which increased to 524 million in 2020-21 and further to 559 million in 2022-23. The meat production in the state in 2011-12 was 34,000 tonnes that increased to 54,000 tonnes in 2020-21 and 58,000 tonnes in 2022-23, the sources said.
According to an official, the demand for eggs in Assam in 2024 is estimated to be around 5,600 million eggs per year. This is based on the state’s non-vegetarian population and the ICMR recommendation of 180 eggs per person per year. However, Assam’s annual egg production is around 475 million eggs, which means there is a shortfall of 5,125 million eggs each year. The state has to meet the shortfall by importing eggs from Andhra Pradesh and Haryana daily. For the city of Guwahati alone, more than 10 trucks arrive daily laden with eggs, with 2,70,480 eggs in each truck.
On the eve of Uruka, it is reported that 25 trucks with eggs arrived in the city from outside the state. The demand for meat in the state is 3,88,200 tonnes annually. The state can meet only 60 percent of its meat demand with local production. The rest is brought from outside. The fishery department said Assam produced 4.43 lakh MTs of fish in 2022-23 against a requirement of 4.5 lakh MTs and 4.74 lakh MTs in 2023-24 against a required 4.8 lakh MTs. To meet the shortfall, Assam procures fish from other states, including Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Bihar.
Data provided by the department shows that the state procured over 18,000 MTs in the last financial year, over 26,000 MTs in 2022-23, over 22,000 MTs in 2021-22, over 12,000 MTs in 2020-21, over 20,000 MTs in 2019-20, and 12,000 MTs in 2018-19.
To meet the demand on the day of Uruka, around 2,000 MT of fish will arrive in the state from the rest of India, including around 700 MT in Guwahati alone. This is apart from the local fish that will cater to the need of the people.
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