Shillong, June 28: Giving a major boost to fish farmers in the Jaintia Hills region, a Smoke Fish Working Shed (Community) was inaugurated today at Umladkhur village under Amlarem C&RD Block, West Jaintia Hills District.
Addressing the gathering at the function, Shri D.M. Wallang, Project Director of District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), West Jaintia Hills, said that the Smoke Fish Working Shed at Umladkhur is the first of its kind in the State and perhaps the entire country. The working shed will usher in a positive change by improving the livelihood of fish farmers as well as augment and upgrade the traditional skills which the people already possess.
The Smoke Fish Working Shed at Umladkhur is borne out of a convergence project involving MGNREGA & MIE (Meghalaya Institute of Entrepreneurship), Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA) and DRDA, West Jaintia Hills District. It was constructed at a total cost of Rs. 5,40,200.
Umladkhur is well known for a variety of fish products such as fish pickle, fish balls, fish cutlet, fish wafers, etc. apart from smoked fish. The new working shed makes use of COFISKI Machines sponsored by ICAR-CIFT, Kochi which improves the quality of the final product by ‘using’ less smoke as opposed to the traditional method of smoking fish. The Community Smoke Fish Working Shed at Umladkhur is undertaken and managed by Seng Trea Multipurpose Co-operative Society Ltd.
