Fiber boats make life easier for Loktak fishing folks

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Nov 19 : Lighter, faster and easy to use with fewer maintenance required, Loktak fishermen are fast adopting plastic glass fiber boats.
This change from traditional wooden boats to modern glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) boats came late but is steadily changing the fishing landscape.
Fishermen in the Loktak Lake and other wetlands find the plastic glass fiber boats more convenient, lighter, faster and economical in the long run.
More than 1000 fishermen of Loktak and other wetlands have dumped the traditional wooden boats, though they love it, and are using the plastic glass fiber boats.
Loktak Fishers' Association's secretary, Khwairakpam Surjit Singh said the association has so far bought 10 plastic glass fiber boats for its members.
Surjit said 21 fishermen of the association are contributing Rs 2,500 every month and from this money, they are buying at least one boat a month.
Surjit said the association buys the boats from  MS Ranjoy Plastic Industries, Industrial Estate at Takyelpat at a discounted rate of Rs 50,000 per boat.
Earlier, the Loktak Fishers' Association in association with MS Ranjoy Plastic Industries and the North East Small Finance Bank, Bishnupur provided 20 boats on loan.
There are around 400 plastic glass fiber boats in use by fishermen in the Loktak Lake, he said.
Explaining why the fishermen are adopting the plastic glass fiber boats, Surjit said they are easy to use and more economic for fishermen in the long run.
Surjit said the traditional boats used by fishermen in the Loktak Lake are made from Cham wood.
The life-span of the traditional Cham wood boat is short and it requires frequent repair and maintenance. These boats start to rot and decay after 3-4 years of use, and as such they need frequent repairing, costing money to fishermen every now and then, Surjit said.
The plastic glass fiber boat, on other hand, is more durable and is resistant to rot and decay, and they require very little maintenance. These boats are also lighter and faster than the wooden boats, he added.
Further, a 20-inch wide traditional boat made of Cham wood which was around Rs 13,000 in 2004 now costs around Rs 21,000, Surjit said.
While the cost of the wooden boat is still lower than the plastic glass fiber boat, fishermen prefer the latter for its ease of use and maintenance free nature, he added.
Khumanthem Ratankumar, proprietor of Ranjoy Plastic Industries, said the firm was established in 2005.
Ratankumar hails from Yairipok Yambem and holds a postgraduate diploma degree in Plastic Processing and Testing.
The industry produces a wide range of plastic glass fiber and glass fiber products including doors, septic tanks, manual boats, motor boats and pedal boats.
The industry receives orders from other States, and has supplied pedal boats to Nagaland, he said.
The plastic glass fiber boats made based on the traditional wooden boat are popular among fishing communities of Loktak Lake, Mayang Imphal, Ngaikhong, Thoubal, Kakching, Khordak, Nongmaikhong, Sekmaijin, Nambol and Wangoi etc, Ratankumar said.
The industry has so far sold more than 1,000 plastic glass fiber boats, he said.
The plastic glass fiber boat has many advantages over the traditional wooden boat, Ratankumar said.
The plastic glass fiber boat is rust/corrosion resistant, 100 percent waterproof and weatherproof. Its maintenance is easy and can last upto 100 years, Ratankumar said.
Manipur Science and Technology Council (MASTEC) Director, Kh Rakesh said fishermen face many difficulties operating the traditional boats, particularly during severe weather conditions including strong winds.
A traditional wooden boat is heavy, and has many practical problems. Many fishermen have lost their lives in the Loktak Lake while fishing on their boats during strong winds and rains, he said.
In an effort to find solutions to the fishermen's problems and modernise their fishing crafts and gears, MASTEC in 2003 conducted a survey, Rakesh said.
The survey, conducted in a phased manner, studied the traditional crafts and gears used by the fishermen in the Loktak Lake and other wetlands in Manipur.
The reports of the "Survey and Modernisation of the traditional fishing crafts and gears in the lakes and wetlands of Manipur" were submitted to the State Science and Technology Division, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, Rakesh said.
During the survey, Rakesh said, scientists from IIT Kharagpur studied the traditional wooden boats, their benefits and disadvantages.
As a solution to the problems fishermen were facing, it was then decided to introduce plastic glass fiber boats in Loktak Lake on a trial basis, Rakesh said.
The training hall at the MASTEC complex in Takyelpat was then used to build plastic glass fiber boats with raw materials from Guwahati and Kolkata, Rakesh said.
A model based on the traditional wooden boat was first deployed in the Loktak Lake for trial.
Further, different models were used and trials were conducted on different parameters and environments to test efficiency, Rakesh added.
While the plastic glass fiber boats offered many practical advantages over the traditional boats, the fishermen at the time found it difficult to operate, he said.
The fishermen couldn't adapt because they were accustomed to operating the wooden boat, he added.
Now with emerging industries introducing the plastic glass fiber boats, more and more fishermen are beginning to use them. The modernisation of the fishing boats is a positive step, and MASTEC is "happy" that this has finally happened, Rakesh said.