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Metanalysis of the fish farming and sale in

Bahawalpur (Pakistan)

ARTICLE · FEBRUARY 2011

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 RESEARCH OPINIONS IN ANIMAL & VETERINARY SCIENCES
ISSN 2221-1896
www.roavs.com

Metanalysis of the fish farming and sale in Bahawalpur (Pakistan)

H. R. Chaudhry, AbduSamad, Mushtaq Aziz, U. Farooq, Abdul Qayyum, M. Taslim Ghori and M. Latif

The University College of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan

Abstract
Fish Farming in the Cholistan is a growing industry despite the low water holding capacity of the desert sand
terrain of the Cholistan desert. This is not the only problem lack of fresh water is also at large and the availability of
brackish sub soil water adds to the insult. Despite all odds Bahawalpur district caters for the market in Multan by the
help of interior sindh and 125 large scale mostly earthen fish farms. A Government fish farm has almost 20 ponds
active throughout the year. The Islamia Uiversity of Bahawalpur has 2 ponds one 2 kanal 3-6ft deep nursery and
another 500x108 ft farm which is 5-8ft deep earthen fish farms. The Bahwalpur District tastes the best in Rohu Carp,
Mori Carp, and to a lesser extent Grass and Silver Carp and the Thela Carp is for the impoverished individuals. The
seasons starts from October and continues till march but the peak sale and price are usually fetched in the months of
December and January.Last years rate of Fish ranging from 1-2 kg was started at Rs. 140 and ended at a peak of Rs.
160. The fish above 2 kg was sold at Rs. 210-230. The retailers fetched a price higher by Rs. 30-40 on the
previously mentioned price. Cooked, fried and Pakora Deep Fried fish rated at Rs. 150-200 per 250 grams. The
present study highlights the various activities of the Fish Farming and Marketing.

Keywords: Fish, Fish Farming, Fish Marketing

Introduction The Area

Fish: The commodity Cholistan
Fish is the finest source of protein available to Cholistan is the largest of four major deserts of
mankind. In Pakistan it is only limited to the rich and Pakistan. It is bordered on the south by the Thar desert
the famous. Fish Farming in the Cholistan is a growing in Sindh province and on the east by the Rajasthan
industry despite the low water holding capacity of the desert in India (Map 2.4). The Cholistan desert covers
desert sand terrain of the Cholistan desert. This is not about 26,000 km2, which corresponds to 26% of the
the only problem lack of fresh water is also at large and 110,000 km2 of the country’s total desert area and 3%
the availability of brackish sub soil water adds to the of its overall surface area.The length of the desert is
insult. Despite all odds fish remains as the major about 480 Km and breadth is from 32 to 192Km. The
contributing factor of Protein diet of the rich and well to desert is situated in South–West of Punjab province
(Pakistan) spread over an area of 26,000 square
do population of the Pakistan. In the major cities like
kilometers with patches of highly saline soils and
Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi this aquatic protein
brackish sub–soil aquifer (water) located between
boosted commodity comes in dietetic vogue in the
latitudes of 27° to 42° and 29° North and longitudes 57°
months of October, November, December and January. to 60° East.
These cities host a number of restaurants which cater
for Fried, Deep Fried, cooked fish. Canned fish is not Rainwater Harvesting and Migration
considered as a favourite food item rather the 99% of While most of the rainfall is received during the
the population relishes fresh fish of the farm. Canned monsoon months of July through September, smaller
fish, Salted fish and fresh fish displayed in proper fish quantities of rainfall sometimes occur in winter. The
displays and sale containers filled with crushed ice are a average annual rainfall in the desert ranges from 100 to
new trend given by MAKRO, HYPERSTAR and 200 mm. Consequently, freshwater availability is very
METRO super markets which can be bought off the limited. There are no perennial or ephemeral streams,
shelf at any time of the year and has given the concept and most of the groundwater is saline with a medium to
of hygienic fish markets. high range of dissolved solids that make it generally

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Chaudhry et al roavs, 2011, 1(2), 122-125.

unfit for drinking (Akram and Chandio, 1998). High

salt concentration also makes groundwater impossible
to use even for saline agriculture without costly
treatment. Because of the extreme aridity, the local
people and their livestock are migratory (PCRWR,
2004). The only source of freshwater for about 110,000
inhabitants and their approximately 2 million head of
subsistence livestock is the occasional rainfall.
Fortunately, the average annual potential of 300 million
m3 for rainwater harvesting is more than sufficient to
satisfy the combined water demand of the people and
livestock. To make the best use of this potential the
herders have found ponds known locally as tobas.
These store runoff water for use during the dry periods.
Harvested rainwater is also stored for household use in
large circular or rectangular tanks called kunds.

Bahawalpur City
Bahawalpur (population 0.79 Million) a booming
and well furnished city of Bahawalpur District lying
adjunct the border of the Cholistan desert. A relatively
small and economical city of Pakistan furnished by
almost all facilities of daily life, a medical college,
veterinary college, pharmacy faculty, a world class
university, an engineering college and one of the finest
schools of the world (Sadiq Public School). Bahawalpur
city is bordered by Lodhran, Yazman, Ahmad Pur East,
Dera Nawab Saab, Hasil Pur.

Materials and Methods

In this study samples were taken and pictographic
survey was made from the various markets and vendors
of Bahawalpur city and applied on bacterial culture
media (MacConkey Agar) to test primarily for three
food marker bacteria of Enterobacteriacea family (E.
coli, Salmonella and Shigella). For this the samples
were grown on Nutrient Broth and McConkey broth
and then transferred to Nutrient Agar and McConkey
agar. Further identification was made on SS Agar for
Shigella and Salmonella. After the completion of the
study the results indicated surprising figures and further
study was plotted to see why the human population was
safe from the harmful effects

Results and Discussion

Market Analysis
Despite all odds Bahawalpur district caters for the
market in Multan by the help of interior sindh and 125
large scale mostly earthen fish farms. A Government
fish farm has almost 20 ponds active throughout the
year. The Islamia Uiversity of Bahawalpur has 2 ponds
one 2 kanal 3-6ft deep nursery and another 500x108 ft
farm which is 5-8ft deep earthen fish farms.

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Chaudhry et al roavs, 2011, 1(2), 122-125.

Wholesale Market
Fish are brought from the interior Sindh especially
from Sukkur harvested from the Indus River, Punjnad
and the various fish farms of the city. The population of
Pakistan by large relish the riverine fish rather than the
farmed fish. The local market much aware of the fact
fact misbrands the farmed fish as riverine fish. The
vehicles carrying the fish arrive at the Bahwalpur City's
only fish market known commonly as the Khokha
Market at 4.00-5.00 am. The 6 wholesale dealer's sell
the fish at 6.00 am keeping Rs. 5-10/- per kilogram of
fish to as high as Rs. 30/kg of fish.

Wholesale Profit
The total amount of fish sold in a day ranges from
9,600 kg-12,000 kg. By 8.00 am the whole market
disperses to a calm. 80% of the fish is sold for the
neighboring markets Yazman city, Hasil Pur, Ahmad
Pur East, Lodhran to as far as Multan City which is an
upcoming metropolitan city of the Southern Punjab.
The daily turnover of the fish market is around Rs.
1,344,000-1,680,000/- and daily profit ranges from Rs.
Rs. 134,400-168,000/-

Taste & Flavor

The Bahwalpur District tastes the best in Rohu
Carp, Mori Carp, and to a lesser extent Grass and Silver
Carp and the Thela Carp is for the impoverished
individuals.

Time of Maximum Sale

The seasons start from October and continue till
March but the peak sale and price are usually fetched in
the months of December and January.

Rate of Fish
In the year 2009 rates of Fish ranging from 1-2 kg
was started at Rs. 140/kg and ended at a peak of Rs.
160/kg. The fish above 2 kg was sold at Rs. 210-
230/kg. The retailers fetched a price higher by Rs. 30-
40 on the previously mentioned price. This year, 2010,
their was an extensive flood in Indus River leading to
an abundance of fish from the Indus River. Despite an
increase in the prices of Poultry meat to Rs. 180/kg of
meat, mutton to as high as Rs. 450/kg of meat and beef
to Rs. 250/kg of meat the price of fish has not increased
at all rather they are still being sold at Rs. 150/kg in the
retail(October/November, 2010). The wholesale rate
still fluctuating between Rs. 135-140/kg.

Live Fish Concept

Only a hand counted restaurants offer fresh from
the aquarium live fish in Pakistan and is not a very
popular commodity and way a selling. After 2010 flood
in Indus river the concept of live fish marketing caught
the eyes of media when in the refugee camps one

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Chaudhry et al roavs, 2011, 1(2), 122-125.

entrepreneur engaged in emergency fried fish marketing Pakistan and those being the most celebrated and
which was televised on national and private TV expansive. Only the most vogue rich class resorting to
channels. The literatti hopes this may be the start of live this kind of protein. None of them in Bahawalpur.
fresh fish marketing which is already in vogue in the
Arab, East Asian and European markets. Microbiology
The results indicated that the fish was sold on
Marketing donkey carts, bicycles, hand carts using green as the
In Bahawalpur and in rest of the country's small cooling agent which amount for 95% of the fresh
cities fish selling remains a medieval marketing and
uncooked fish sold in the market was rich ( 80% by
most of the fish is sold on horse cart, donkey carts, and
evening) in E. coli, Salmonella and Shigella. 3% of the
manned carts without the aid of salting or icing for
preservation and remains active in the extreme winter total fish are sold on donkey carts, bicycle and hand
months. A very interesting concept is selling the fish on carts using ice as the base for preservation material
bicycle to every street. These street hawkers sell to the showed 60% contamination by E. coli and Salmonella
housewives the small sized to medium sized fish by but no colonies of Shigella were observed. The major
9.00-12.00 noon selling as much as 25-30 kg of fish in route found to be the dirty bucket filled with a
a day. In this group the novice population is looted with contaminated tap water from remote and filthy
substandard fish liable to spoilage and misbranding. environment. 2% of the total fish sold in Pakistan
through the mega marts like HYPERSTAR, METRO,
Processed Fish/Fried and Cooked Fish MAKRO in ice boxes and washed with clean water
2009 saw the cooked, fried and Pakora Deep Fried were found to be free from marker bacteria. If the
fish rated at Rs. 150-200 per 250 grams in high class number of bacteria was so high and the contamination
resturants and fried fish vendors sold the fish at Rs. so severe it was found that the 99% of the fish sold in
200/400 gram serving. In the year 2010 the prices of the restaurants was deep fried with a coating of PAKORA
fried fish have not changed much. The fried fish to mask spoilage effects and the number of marker
vendors of which there are four in Bahawalpur City are bacteria was 0. 1% of the fish sold in restaurants was
selling the pakora coated fried fish at Rs. 180/400 gram pan fried which was found to browned without coating
serving. Three of the four fried fish vendors of the city and (OVER COOKED / BAKED).
of Bahwalpur are owned by the same entrepreneur who
is famous for his special dressing and sauce. The
famous restaurant like La Taska are known for their
References
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