VIJAYAWADA: After three key North-East states banned fish imports from Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu sprang to the defence of state aqua farmers and refuted allegations that formalin was being used as preservatives for fish exported to Assam Nagaland and Meghalaya On Friday, Naidu wrote to chief ministers of the three states - Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland - requesting them to depute technical teams for qualitative checks and act against those maligning fish products from Andhra Pradesh. He also appealed to his counterparts to restore fish trade ties.In his three-page letters to Assam chief minister Sarabananda Sonowal, Meghalaya CM Conard Kongkal Sangma and Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio , he said aqua farmers and traders have appealed to him to intervene and initiate dialogue. Naidu said, media coverage on formalin being used in fish exports has adversely hit trade in the state.He said aqua farmers have denied the charges of using toxic preservatives and termed it as a ploy to reduce market prices hit the state's brand in fish business. Naidu elaborated on measures taken by AP government to ensure only quality fish is exported to other states. "We issue fish quality certificates to consignments exported to other states," he said. Awareness meetings are conducted in all important aquaculture villages and farmers sensitized on the issue.

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