A checklist of traditional
edible bio-resources from Ima markets of Imphal Valley, Manipur, India
Oinam Sunanda Devi 1,Puspa Komor 2& Dhritiman Das 3
1 Research Scholar, Department of
Zoology, Gauhati University, Guwahati,
Assam 781014, India
2 Junior Research Fellow, Omeo Kumar Das Institute of Social Change and Development
(OKDISCD), VIP Road, Upper Hengrabari, Guwahati, Assam 781036, India
3 PhD Scholar, Conservation Science,Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the
Environment (ATREE), 5th ‘A’ Main Road, Hebbal, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560024, India
Email:1 sunan_o@rediffmail.com, 2 puspakomorch@gmail.com, 3 dhritiman.das@atree.org
Date of
publication (online): 26 October 2010
Date of
publication (print): 26 October 2010
ISSN
0974-7907 (online) | 0974-7893 (print)
Editor: Anwaruddin Choudhury
Manuscript details:
Ms # o2256
Received 09 July 2009
Final revised received 31
August 2010
Finally accepted 06 September
2010
Citation: Devi, O.S., P. Komor& D. Das (2010). A checklist of traditional edible bio-resources
from Ima markets of ImphalValley, Manipur, India. Journal of
Threatened Taxa 2(11): 1291-1296.
Copyright: © Oinam SunandaDevi, Puspa Komor & Dhritiman Das 2010. Creative Commons
Attribution 3.0 Unported License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in any medium
for non-profit purposes, reproduction and distribution by providing adequate
credit to the authors and the source of publication.
Acknowledgements:We like to thank Prof. P.C. Bhattacharjeeand Dr. P.K. Saikia, Department of Zoology, Gauhati University for their help and guidance during the
survey period. We also like to
thank our family members for their financial help and support during the survey
work.
Abstract: A study was
conducted at seven important markets of ImphalValley, Manipur in northeastern India, which are run exclusively by women and
are popularly known as “the Ima markets”. The two year study was to find out the
important edible bio-resources which are consumed daily by the local people of
Manipur. Regular surveys were
conducted at the selected markets at least three times a month. A total of 45 wild edible plants and 26
wild fruits were identified during the survey. Also, 25 edible animal resources were recorded. It is
suggested that the high diversity of wild edible bio-resources needs to be
conserved for livelihood sustenance of the local communities.
Keywords: Bio-resource, edible, Ima Market, Imphal Valley, livelihood, Manipur.
Manipur forms a distinctive part of Indo-Burma
inhabited by various ethnic groups and communities possessing varied cultures
and traditions (Singh et al. 1996). It lies in the extreme east of India bordering Myanmar within 23047-25041’N
& 930 61’E-94048’E (Singh et al. 1996). The terrain of the state is
predominantly hilly (92%), except for a broad alluvial valley, called the Imphal Valley, which extends north-southin the middle for over 1795km2 (Singh et al. 1996). The ImphalValley forms only 8.25% of the total area of Manipur while the remaining 91.75%
is hills (Singh 2006). Although
the valley constitutes only a small part of the geographical area, two-thirds
of Manipur’s 1.8 million people live in the ImphalValley (Roy 1992).
The state falls in the Indo-Burma global
biodiversity hotspot (Myers et al. 2000; Mittermeieret al. 2004). Its rich
bio-resources have acted as the life source of different indigenous communities
living in harmony within the area for centuries. The dominant indigenous communities of Manipur include the
Meitei, Naga, Kuki and other small communities like
Manipuri Muslim and Nepali people (Elangbam2002). Most of these people depend
directly or indirectly on wild bio-resources for their livelihood. The local people collect different
edible wild bio-resources from the nearby hills and plains for their own food
and also to sell them in the markets. One important feature of Manipur is that women play a very important role
in the society both socially and economically. It is worth mentioning that most of the markets in the Imphal valley are run and controlled by women, these are
popularly known as the Ima Market or Mother’s
Market. Imameans mother in the local language of Manipur. The main Ima Market is located at Khwairamban Bazaar in the heart of the city where more than
3000 women from different communities congregate everyday to sell local
vegetables, fish, grain, handlooms, handicrafts and other household items. The uniqueness of Imamarket is that it is exclusively for women and one will not find a single man
doing business in the market or its vicinity. Ima (Mother), Ine(Aunt) and Iche (Sister) from various communities run
the marketplace to support their families.
Through this study an attempt has been made to
list the important edible bio-resources sold and consumed by the local people
of the state so as to identify the rare and endemic bio-resources for their
future conservation.
Study area: The
present study was conducted at seven important Imamarkets of Imphal valley run. The market places are Khwairamban Bazaar, SingjameiBazaar, Kwakeithel Bazaar, TeraBazaar situated at Imphal West District; Khurai Lamlong Bazaar, Kongba Bazaar and ChingmeirongBazaar situated at Imphal East District. The
market places are locally called “Bazaars” in Manipur. The KhwairambanBazaar is the biggest market of Imphal situated in
the heart of the city where more than 3000 women vendors sell vegetables,
fruits, fishes and daily household items under rows of small markets built
together. The SingjameiBazaar is the second largest bazaar run by nearly 1000 women vendors. The other five bazaars are smaller in
size, run by about 500 women each. There is no fixed size of the markets and the number of women vendors
also fluctuates daily. Sometimes
new women vendors do not get a permanent place inside the market place so they
sell their items on the roadsides thus expanding the markets. At other times permanent vendors come out
to the roadside as some people buy things in a hurry and do not want to bother
roaming inside the markets. Women
of different communities of the state run the markets everyday from early
morning around 0500hr up to 1900hr under normal circumstances. The markets are run very
systematically, all the items are sold separately and there is no mix of things
reducing the confusion of the buyers and also reducing congestion. The frequent bandhsand general strikes called by different organizations in the state greatly
affect the economy as well as the livelihood of these thousands of women from far flung areas of the state.
Methods: The methods employed in this study were so
designed to collect information on the wild plants and animal bio-resources which are consumed daily by the local people of
Manipur. Literatures were
thoroughly searched for references on the subject and field data was collected
for a period of two years from January 2007 to December 2008. Markets were surveyed and extensive
interviews of women vendors were taken with regard to availability of wild
bio-resources, following Jain (1989, 1990) and Martin (1995).
Regular surveys were conducted at the seven
selected markets at least two times a month. Surveys were conducted at the peak marketing hours between
0700-1000 hr and 0300-1900 hr. At
least 1-2 hours was spent in each market during the data collection. A total of 48 days and 144 hours were
spent in each market place during the two years field surveys. A minimum of 100 women vendors in each
market were interviewed regarding the local name of the bio-resource, their
use, source, price and place from where they brought the items. All the edible wild plants, fruits and
animal products were collected and identified with the help of specialists and
relevant published papers and books such as Singh & Arora(1978), Sukla et al. (1982), Jhingranet al. (1991), Jain (1999), Elangbam (2002), Singh
(2002), Khanna (2003), and Vishwanath& Geetakumari (2009). The bio-resources were categorized crudely as common or rare
as per their availability and encounter rates in the market places.
Results: A total of 45 wild edible plants including two
mushroom and two edible fungus varieties were identified during the
surveys. The study also records 26
wild fruits and 25 edible animal bio-resources including two eel varieties,
three gastropod varieties, one bivalve variety, one crustacean variety and 18
local fresh water fish varieties.
Out of the 45 edible plants, 37 are common
species and eight are rare species. All the plants are seasonal i. e. 35.5% are
summer species, 55.5% are winter species and 8.9% are found throughout the
year. Some
Rare plants are scarcely available and as a result their price is also
high. For example Pleurotus ostreatus, a mushroom variety locally
called “Uyen” costs Rs.
60-80/kg because of its high demand and high nutritive value. Some plant species are abundantly
available so they are cheaper. For example Oenunthe javanica, a local herb variety found in open fields and
wetlands called locally “Komprek”, costs only Rs. 10-20/kg.
The study also records 26 local wild fruit
varieties, of which 19 are Common and seven are rare varieties. 53.8% of these are summer varieties,
38.5% are winter varieties and 7.7% are year round varieties.
Of the total 25 edible animal bio-resources, 17
are common species and eight are rare species. These includes two freshwater eel species Monopterus albus andAnguilla bengalensis, three gastropod species Pila globossa, Pila spp. and Turittella spp.,one fresh water mussel
species Anodonta anatina, one freshwater crustacean species Macrobrachium dayanum and 18 fresh water fish species. Out of the total species 16% are found
in summer, 52% are found in winter and 32% are found throughout the year.
Of the 100 women vendors interviewed in each
market, 42.4% of the respondents said that they had collected the bio-resources
themselves and 57.6% revealed that they had collected the resources from one or
two local distributors.
The lists of all bio-resources are given below
in the Tables 1, 2 and 3.
Discussion: From time immemorial, the indigenous local
inhabitants of Manipur have had a wide knowledge about the uses of traditional
bio-resources, either as food or medicine in their day-to-day life (Khumbongmayum et. al. 2004). In this study, a total of 45 wild
edible plants, 26 wild fruit varieties and 25 edible animal bio-resources were
recorded, all of which form an important part in the diet of the local Manipuri
people. The local peoples mainly
the women of different castes and communities went to far-flung areas and into
the forests to collect these edible bio-resources for their own food and to
sell them in the local markets as a source of income for themselves. Some wild edible plants are rich in
nutrient content, and may even be superior to cultivated ones in this respect (Sundriyal & Sundriyal2001a). A varied diet of wild
edible plants may also increase one’s sense of food palatability, which in turn
may lead to an increase in food intake (Sharpe 1987; Ogle 1990). Due to its high nutritive value, people
throng to the markets everyday to buy these bio-resources for their
consumption.
Some of the wild plants and fish varieties are
not only used as food items but they are also related to traditional ceremonies. Some wild plant species such as Mangifera indica Linn., Ficus glomerata Roxb., Tamarindus indica Linn., Baccaurea sapida Roxb., and Artocarpus heterophyllus Lamk are connected
with traditional bio-folklore and ceremonies and thus regarded as sacred
species (Singh et al. 1996; Khumbongmayum et. al. 2004). Not only plants, some fish varieties
also have traditional values and thus are in high demand and very costly. For example Eutropiichthys vacha locally called “Ngahei”
is associated with the “Chaumba” ceremony, which is
the first rice eating ceremony of a child. It is believed that feeding “Ngahei Curry” to the child will increase his or her
knowledge and wisdom. It costs
around Rs. 250-350 /kg but it can go up to Rs. 500-700 /kg in off-season. Similarly, Osteobrama belanger locally called “Pengba”
is associated with the “Ningol Chakouba”
Festival, celebrated to strengthen the bonds of love between brothers and
sisters. Due to its high nutritive
value and high demand it costs around Rs. 300-500
/kg. But these fish species have
become so scarce that they are hardly available in the market nowadays.
Due to rapid destruction of forests and the
filling up of wetlands for expansion of land area and developmental activities,
most of these wild bio-resources are becoming rare and threatened. It is expected that an ever growing population will eventually lead to a greater
demand for food and other necessities. As a result the existing biotic pressures may be increased several times
in the near future (Sundriyal et al. 2004).
Therefore, it is important to identify the rare
edible bio-resources which are the livelihood of many
indigenous Manipuri people so that proper conservative measures may be taken to
preserve these local gene pools for our future generations.
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