Shillong Aug 23:  Fish business resumed in Meghalaya on Thursday after the ban on import of fish from outside the state for 30 days was lifted by the Meghalaya government.

Fish sellers including those running fish stalls at ïewduh, the main market in Shillong, resumed their trade as usual after a varieties of fish have been brought from outside the state.

On July 23, the Meghalaya government banned the import of fish from outside the state after test reports on fish samples showed positive the presence of formalin.

Initially, the ban was a period of 15 days, but the government extended the ban by another 15 days after more samples sent for test showed positive the presence of formalin.

Earlier, the Meghalaya government had warned of imprisonment up to seven years and fine up to Rs 10 lakh under Section 59 (iv) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, in case of non-compliance of the ban.

President of the Khasi Jaiñtia Fish Wholesaler and Retailer Association, Mitchell Wankhar said that after the complaint that formalin was injected in fish brought from outside Meghalaya, many people especially fish seller faced difficulties in supporting the family.

Wankhar expressed his happiness at the lifting of the ban, and urged the people not to fear eating fish since the government of Andhra Pradesh had also checked fish before transporting to Meghalaya and kept sealed packet.

Among the districts in the state, East Khasi Hills districts imported about 18,444 metric tonnes during 2017-2018.

Fisheries Minister, Comingone Ymbon said that the fish ponds created under the state aquaculture mission have been able to produce around 8,000 metric tonnes of fish annually.