Imphal, July 18: The Manipur fisheries department has set itself a 10-year deadline to transform the state from a fish importer to a fish exporter.

The director of the department, David K. Shimray, said currently the state requires 42,000 tonnes of fish annually but Manipur only produces 30,000 tonnes of fish, leaving a shortfall of 10,000 tonnes.

This gap is filled by importing fish from states like Andhra Pradesh, Bengal, Assam and sometimes neighbouring Myanmar, the director said.

Unveiling the department's vision at a news conference here today, Shimray said the state has waterbodies stretching over 56,561.04 hectares that are fit for pisciculture. But, until now, only 19,500 hectares have been utilised.

"To attain self-sufficiency and also export fish, my department has set a target of producing around 65,000 tonnes of fish per year in the next 10 years," the director said.

The vision includes upgrading skills of farmers, producing good quality fish seeds by opening hatcheries, renovating existing ponds, establishing fishery estates, developing reservoirs, hill streams, riverine and lake fisheries, developing paddy-cum-pisciculture farms in the hill districts and developing pen and cage culture in open waters.

Manipur is a major fish consumer and fish is a "must have" item on the menu at social and religious feasts.

To satiate the consumption of dry fish, which is a part of daily meals in households, the department also plans to produce ready-to-eat canned products and fermented dry fish in packaged form very soon.

"The canned fish packaging unit will be opened in Imphal within three months. This will be made available in the market as soon as the unit is fully operational," the director said.

To enhance the skills of farmers, a batch of 25 fishermen will be sent to Andhra Pradesh this year.

"Skill development of farmers is very important if we are to achieve our target of producing enough fish for export, which can generate income and provide jobs for youths," Shimray said.

Other initiatives to increase fish production include opening fish feed manufacturing units and starting of a fish disease detection and controlling laboratory. Currently, Manipur imports feed from other states.

Despite a huge shortage of manpower, the department is working very hard to achieve the target in the next 10 years, Shimray said. Currently, 175 out of 860 sanctioned posts in the fisheries department are lying vacant .