Winter Brings Boom To Fish Trade In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

The increased chill and dense foggy conditions have amplified the demands of mouth-watering fish varieties including trout fish and delicious chappli kabab in KP especially Peshawar where all eateries outlets packed with customers enjoying its delectable bites till late night

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 4th Jan, 2024) The increased chill and dense foggy conditions have amplified the demands of mouth-watering fish varieties including trout fish and delicious chappli kabab in KP especially Peshawar where all eateries outlets packed with customers enjoying its delectable bites till late night.

Known for hospitality, Peshawar is a unique ancient city for being frequently visited by tourists and food lovers to relish on its delectable traditional foods varieties including mouth-watering chappli kabab, Peshawari rice-polao and fish varieties mostly brought from Malakand, Hazara divisions, Punjab and Karachi as special winter food recipes.

While travelling on historic Qissa Khawani and Namak Mandi bazaars in the bustling city of Peshawar, a visitor can’t resist the aroma of grilled fish and chappli kabab being served with traditional Qehwa and spicy sauces in harsh winter.

“The tantalizing aroma of trout and carp fish besides other varieties and chappli kabab has always attracted me to enjoy its delectable taste at Qissa Khawani bazaar. It is my third visit to Qisa Khawani of the ongoing winter season with my family. My visit to Peshawar remained incomplete without enjoying the mouthwatering chappli kabab and grilled fish with green qehwa,” said Riaz Khan, a resident of Nowshera while talking to APP. Besides food outlets, many visitors take parcels for their loved one at home to keep themselves warms in harsh winter.

Ganta Ghar, a famous fish trade hub in Peshawar drew a substantial number of sea food lovers on Thursday where trade of fish varieties including mushka, raho, simon, pomfret, mahsher, and lobsters were significantly increased after the cold wave griped Peshawar valley for the last three days.

The hotel’s owners and even vendors received a deluge of orders for eating at shops and home delivery from residents and visitors enjoying its delicious bites along with loved ones during peak of winter season

Sajid Ali, a trader of a fish outlet at Ghanta Ghar said trout stock has been brought from Swat and Mansehra districts as a special winter offer to fulfill Peshawarties’ pressing demands. “The recipe of trout fish is very simple and time-efficient. We prepare trout in oil after its proper water wash and cutting. Later, varieties of spicy sauces, pomegranate seed powder, salt and other species ingredients are properly mixed.”

Before making it on medium flame, he said the fish is properly marinated for about two hours to ensure that all sauces are intact and colour is unchanged and later served to customers with chips, sauces (Chitnis), salad and naans.

Sajid said most of people wanted deep-fried fish, some liked ‘tawa macchi’ and many liked grilled and baked trout fish for eating at shops as well as taking the parcel for their loved ones, adding one kilogram un-grilled trout was being sold at Rs 3000 to Rs 3500 per kilogram in open market.

Wapda’s retired employee, Qaiser Khan while eating fish at Ring Road Peshawar along with friends told APP that trout was his favorite seafood as its meat was full of proteins and vitamins besides easily digestible.

“When I was young, I visited Swat with my father during winter to enjoy the freshwater brown trout due to its aromatic taste and spiciness amid snowfall. This winter, I did not go to Swat due to the availability of grilled and baked trout fish at Peshawar.

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Dr Riaz Khan, senior children specialist Govt Hospital Pabbi Nowshera said there was an additional burden on the heart, brains, joints and lungs of weak people and children due to persistent cough, nausea and frosts in winter, adding consumption of fish was the best available choice to help reduce risks of these diseases.

Besides best source of proteins, vitamins, omega 3 fatty acids, phosphorus, iron and iodine, he said that consumption of seafood help improve digestion, protects skin from dryness and relieves joints’ pains.

He said Pakistan can earn substantial revenue by giving special incentives to trout’s farmers besides construction of new trout lakes especially in Malakand and Hazara divisions due availability of plenty of cold water reservoirs and ideal climate conditions for trout and carp farming.

KP Fisheries Department spokesman said that Trout Village Project was launched in Hazara and Malakand divisions under which over 100 small and large trout fish farms established. ”Trout farming is a highly profitable business and any farmer having 35 marla land and proper water inflow and outflow system can produce 3000 kg trout by earning about three million rupees profit after 15 months raring.

These farms were established under a 50:50% cost-sharing formula basis contributed by KP Government and farmers mostly in Swat and Mansehra districts. Similarly, work on development of coldwater fisheries resources costing Rs 1200 million, a joint venture of Federal and Provincial Governments having 40:60pc cost-sharing basis continued in Malakand and Hazara divisions under which about 300 trout lakes would be established to cater seafood demands of the ever-growing population.

Development of reservoirs for the uplift of fisheries resources costing Rs 500 million’ project has been approved under which 67 carp fish farms and model hatchery on 179 kanal at Swabi would be established.

From this large hatchery, he said fish seedlings would be provided to private hatcheries and Turbella dam. With completion of these projects, he said KP’s fish production would likely increase to 740 metric tons from the existing 400 metric tons in the next few years.

He said water pollution and climate change as a big threat to trout farming and suggested a comprehensive mechanism for the disposal of hotel waste in Malakand and Hazara divisions.

“Throwing of plastic pollution and hotels effluent drains directly into River Swat and Kunhar are extremely harmful for freshwater trout,” he reiterated. Work on a new project “development of fisheries resources in merged areas” was underway and that model coldwater research centre at Madyn Swat with a facility of a fish hatchery where academia and young researchers would be facilitated to conduct research on aquatic resources.

“The August 2022 floods had inflicted millions of losses to the fisheries sector in Hazara and Malakand divisions where many carp and trout fish hatcheries were either completely destroyed or damaged.”

The spokesman said that demands for Pakistani fish has increased to Thailand, Saudia Arabia , South Korea and Singapore and the time has come to go towards commercialization of fish farming to bolster the country's fish exports. Similarly, he suggested soft loans to all flood-affected fish farmers for the reconstruction of their farms and lakes especially in Upper Swat.