AP CM asks Bihar to send technical team to check fish quality

After Bihar banned sale of Andhra fish over quality concerns, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Monday requested his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar to send a technical team to look into the issue and restore the trade between the two states.

The Bihar government has imposed a ban for 15 days in Patna after it found formalin, a known carcinogen, in some of the consignments brought from Andhra Pradesh. Formalin is used to preserve fish.

In a letter written to the Bihar Chief Minister, Naidu informed that the state government has conducted surprise raids and tested samples but could not find formalin in any fish products.

The AP State Fish Farmers Association has denied alleged use of formalin to preserve the fish. Acquaculture farmers and traders have said this could be an attempt to disturb trade between the two states, he added.

In this backdrop, Naidu requested the Bihar CM to "depute a technical team from Bihar state for quality check" and take initiative against the persons responsible for damaging the image of Andhra state fishery products and to restore the good fish trade relations as existed earlier.

He also suggested quality checks at borders of Bihar for which Andhra government is ready to depute a team.

If required, the Andhra government is ready to issue quality certification as per the procedure suggested by Bihar government, he added.