Fish Marketing Societies to the aid of country boat fishermen

Initiative aims to free fisherfolk from clutches of middlemen.

Country boat fishermen caught high-quality crabs, lobsters, groupers and sear fish, but were unable to get a good price for their catch, officials said.

Aiming to free country boat fishermen in the southern coastal districts from the clutches of intermediaries and ensure the best price for the catch with marketing facilities, the government has proposed the establishment of Fish Marketing Societies (FMS) in fishing hamlets to procure the catch directly from fishermen.

When launching the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD)-assisted Post Tsunami Sustainable Livelihoods Programme (PTSLP) recently, the State Fisheries Department identified 410 fishing hamlets in the districts of Kanniyakumari, Thoothukudi, Ramanathapuram, Pudukottai and Thanjavur for the FMS initiative, and 121 such societies have been formed already.

E. Kathavarayan, Deputy Director of Fisheries, said FMS members representing the fishing communities from these districts were familiarised with the programme at the Marine Products Exporters’ meet held in Thoothukudi recently. They directly interacted with exporters and sought clarifications on a wide range of issues, he said.

The government came out with the programme to protect country boat fishermen who seek loans from local money lenders, agents and middlemen and are forced to sell their catch at the rates fixed by them. “These intermediaries exploit the fishermen by buying their catch at low rates and make profits by selling them to exporters at higher rates,” Mr. Kathavarayan said. Country boat fishermen caught high-quality crabs, lobsters, groupers and sear fish, but were unable to get a good price for their catch. They could now sell their catch at the best price to the FMS which, in turn, will supply the catch to exporters. About 4 million tonnes of crabs were exported from India every year, and 90% of the crabs were caught in the Palk Bay, he said. FMS were being given 70-, 120- and 200-litre-capacity ice boxes at subsidised rates to preserve the catch and had tied up with seafood export companies for marketing, he said, adding that IFAD was also helping fishermen with financial assistance for buying fishing nets and other paraphernalia.