Subitted by: BDU, West Jaintia Hills district
Edited by: Knowledge Management Unit, MBDA
The Basin Development Unit of West Jaintia Hills district, organized an exposure visit cum training for Smoked Fish Entrepreneurs registered at Amlarem Enterprise Facilitation Centre (EFC) to Kakinada & Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh from 30 July to 10 August 2015.
During the this exposure visit the team which comprises of the Block Development Officer as the team Leader, Fishery Officer of the Amlarem Sub-Division, Programme Associate from the BDU, APO DRDA Jowai, Programme Associate MIE Shillong, and 22 smoked fish entrepreneurs from Amlarem Sub-Division, visited the Godavari Mahila Samakhya Fisher Women Empowerment Centre, Tallarevu Mandal, Kakinada East Godavari District Godavari Mahila, Samakhya Fisher Women Empowerment Centre and the Central Institute of Fishery Technology, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Visakhapatnam. During the exposure visit, the team was given training on the various methods for smoking fish using modern scientific methods. Hands on demonstrations of degutting, cleaning, drying, salting and smoking of fish in a Smoking Fish Kiln were given where to all participants. The participants were also given an opportunity to compare the results of smoking fish using traditional methods and using new and improved modern methods.
Smoking is one of the oldest methods of fish preservation developed in pre-historic period. It is a method of preservation effected by the combination of drying, deposition of naturally produced chemicals resulting from thermal breakdown of Wood, and Salting. All these elements when combined, help preserve fish for longer durations. Fish that has been smoked is by itself ready to eat and has high demand in Northeastern states especially in the state of Meghalaya.