he multibillion dollar fish business in the State is set undergo a sea change with the State government beginning work on a Bill to regulate fish marketing and storage.
A fishermen’s representative called the proposed Kerala Fish Marketing and Quality Management Bill a ‘significant step’ towards realising the rights of fishermen who have virtually no say in the price of the fish they catch.
The Bill, among other things, will vest the first right of sale with the fishermen instead of the present system in which brokers and wholesalers play a bigger role.
Fisheries Department sources said that the Bill would also set down standards for storage of fish at the landing centres, where there are no storage facilities now. Hygiene at fishing harbours and amenities for fishermen at these points fall under the purview of the Bill.
They said that material for preparation of the Bill was submitted to the government for preparing a draft, which would be discussed with the stakeholders.
Once the Bill becomes law, auctioning of fish at the fish landing centres will acquire a uniform character and involve transparent processes.
Wholesale fish sale at landing centres now is not uniform and fishermen are vulnerable to exploitation, said a department official. The Bill will end the system of bulk sale in which the quantity is not ascertained before the price is set. Besides, brokers and wholesalers demand up to 20 per cent commission, claimed Charles George of Matsya Thozhilali Aikya Vedi.
The Bill is the fallout of a standoff between fishermen and wholesalers at the Kalamukku fish landing centre in October 2013 over commission or discounts offered to the buyers. The practice called lelakkizhivu involves fishermen willingly foregoing a part of the actual price quoted by the buyer. The standoff was triggered by the buyers demanding up to 20 per cent discount or lelakkizhivu .
Mr. George said that the discount demand had gone gradually up from four per cent to 14 per cent. Though there is an informal agreement between the wholesalers and fishermen now on the 14 per cent lelakkizhivu, they are not happy with the situation, he added.
