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Agricultural Economics Research ReviewVol. 23 (Conference Number) 2010 pp 495-504Lessons from Innovative Institutions in the Marketing ofFish and Fishery Products in India §B. Ganesh Kumar* a , T. Ravisankar b , R. Suresh c , Ramachandra Bhatta d ,D. Deboral Vimala b , M. Kumaran b , P. Mahalakshmi b and T. Sivasakthi Devi aaNational Centre for Agricultural Economics and Policy Research, New Delhi – 110 012bCentral Institute of Brackishwater Aqauculture, Chennai – 600 028cFisheries College & Research Institute, Thoothukudi – 628 008dCollege of Fisheries, Mangalore – 575 002AbstractThis study has been conducted with the objective of understanding the process of innovative marketingmodels in the fisheries sector and to draw lessons from the success stories to upscale and replicate in asimilar socio-politico-economic scenario in other parts of the country. It has been conducted to provide abetter understanding of fish marketing by self-help groups (SHGs), producer associations, fisheriesdevelopment corporations, fisherman cooperatives and private institutions in the southern states of India,namely Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh with the hypothesis that the institutionalarrangements in the marketing of fish and fishery products reduce the transaction cost and improve themarket access and its efficiency. The study has reported the primary activities of those institutions in theefficient fish marketing, such as inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing and salespromotion and support activities like infrastructural facilities, technological backstopping, price informationand procurement. Through these advantages, the fishermen have been found to achieve economies ofscale, technological innovations, capacity development, linkage among activities, degree of verticalintegration, timing of market entry, product differentiation, market access, credit access, etc. The study hassuggested replication of such successful innovative institutions in marketing the fish and fishery productsthrough appropriate policies and programmes. It has also suggested to promote institutions like SHGs,producer / fishermen associations, cooperatives, etc. and allow the entry of private agencies with appropriateregulatory mechanism to improve the efficiency of fish marketing in the country.IntroductionFish is one of the highly perishable commoditiesand it occupies a very important place in the socioeconomicdevelopment of the country. The fisherysector contributes to the livelihood of a large section ofeconomically underprivileged population in India(Ayyappan and Krishnan, 2004). While the demand of* Author for correspondence,Email: drgankum@yahoo.com§This paper is drawn from the final report of the researchstudy on ‘Exploring market opportunities for fisheriessector in India’ sponsored by National FisheriesDevelopment Board, Hyderabad.fish and fishery products is steadily growing and is fairlyuniform across the country, the supply of fish is highlyseasonal and it comes from diverse productionenvironment, leading to price fluctuations across regionsand seasons, and even within the day, which is exploitedby the middlemen, resulting in reduced welfare offishermen. Gupta (1984) and Srivastava and Kant(1985) had analyzed the price variations among thefish species across states and had identifiedinfrastructural bottlenecks in efficient marketing systemof India. The system of fish marketing in India hastraditionally been highly unorganized and unregulated,which is the prime cause of inefficiency in the wholeprocess. Attempts have been made to overcome this

496 Agricultural Economics Research Review Vol. 23 (Conference Number) 2010perennial problem by fishermen group as well asgovernment agencies in some pockets of our country.In general, the fishermen could be saved fromexploitation by encouraging group marketing,cooperative marketing, contract marketing, etc., whichwould increase the marketing efficiency and improvetheir profit (Chahal et al., 2004; Ali et al.,2008). But,these kinds of efforts have largely been confined to afew small locations covering few species and werehighly scattered. Unlike poultry or dairy industry,innovations in fish marketing have not been on a macrolevel.Katiha et al. (2004) have studied the governance,institutions and policies for fisheries of floodplainwetlands, wherein they revealed that the stakeholdersinclude fishers, government agencies, lessee, fisheryco-operatives, village authority, community leaders,market agents, political leaders and NGOs and theirinteractions and transparency are essential to increasethe efficiency of the markets. Acharya (1997) hadsuggested encouraging the local farmers, traders andprocessors to market the produce under their brandsand promoting such local brands based on gradedproduce to improve the marketing efficiency. Similarly,Punhani (2001) has emphasized that an efficientmarketing system in horticultural products could beachieved through price stability, rapid economic growthand equitable distribution of goods and services.Under this background, this paper has attemptedto document and understand the process of differentkinds of innovative marketing models in the fisheriessector and to draw lessons from the success stories toupscale and replicate in a similar socio-politicoeconomicscenario in other parts of the country. Thisstudy was conducted to have a better understanding offish marketing by self-help groups (SHGs), producerassociations, fisheries development corporations,fisherman cooperatives and private institutions.Recommendations to improve fish marketing by theorganized sectors in India have been provided and policyimplications have been discussed.Hypothesis, Methodology and DataThe study was formulated to test the hypothesisthat the institutional arrangements in the marketing offish and fishery products would reduce the transactioncost and improve the market access and its efficiency.Product differentiation would induce the consumptionof fish through which the producer could earn moreprofit. There would be a positive impact on fishermen’sprofitability by the improved credit access and consumerpreference. We expect that the income and livelihoodstatus of fishermen would be improved by selling fishand fishery products through SHGs, fishermanassociations, co-operatives and private institutions. Thiswould improve the marketing efficiency, its distributionchannel and the storage method by which the fishermencould reduce the wastage/ spoilage of fish and fisheryproducts. Besides, sustainable technology in theproduction, processing and differentiating the qualityof fish and fishery products would provide more profitto fishermen.The study is based on the information collectedthrough personal interview and formal techniques suchas participatory rural appraisal and focused groupdiscussions carried out in the southern states of India,namely Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and AndhraPradesh. The information on the genesis, structure,conduct, performance and benefits of such innovativeinstitutions was collected from the well organized,selected marketing institutions, namely Thenkumari SelfHelp Group, Chennai, Tamil Nadu; Sagar NidhiEnterprise Activity Group, Mangalore, Karnataka;Paminiaru Shrimp Farmers’ Association, Thambikkotai,Tamil Nadu; Marine Fish Marketing by FishermenAssociations, Kombuthurai, Tamil Nadu; the stategovernment marketing agencies like Tamil NaduFisheries Development Corporation Ltd. (TNFDC),Kerala State Cooperative Federation for FisheriesDevelopment Ltd. (Matsyafed); and also a privateinstitution, named Aquachoupal in Andhra Pradesh.Results and Discussion(i) Marketing by Self-help GroupsWomen play several critical roles in fisheries,particularly during the pre- and post-harvest sectors.In the marine fisheries, active marine fishing is generallyundertaken by men, although a small percentage ofwomen also takes part in near-shore fishing, seaweedharvesting, and in the collection of clams, mussels andbivalves. According to the Marine Fisheries Census,2005, the total marine fisherfolk population of ninecoastal states and two union territories in mainland Indiawas 3,519,116. Notably, of the 756,391 fisherfolkinvolved in fishing-related activities, 365,463 are women(approximately 48%), with 152,692 of them engaged

Ganesh Kumar et al. : Lessons from Innovative Institutions in the Marketing of Fish in India 497in the marketing of fish, compared to 54,670 men.Women are the primary players in processing, marketingand selling the catch. Thus, women vendors andprocessors have organized themselves in formal andinformal groups to facilitate their trade. Among these,the self-help groups (SHGs) are the formalorganizations by which they sell their fish and fisheryproducts (Kumar, 2010). The present study is focusedon two SHGs namely Thenkumari Self Help Group,Chennai, Tamil Nadu; and Sagar Nidhi EnterpriseActivity Group, Mangalore, Karnataka. These groupsare engaged in the marketing of fresh fish products.Thenkumari SHG was organized in 2003 with 15members that remained engaged in fish marketing forabout 4 to 14 hours a day and 5 to 7 days in a week. Inaddition, the women also used to procure fish fromauction through group purchase at Chindadiripet FishMarket at Chennai. This SHG undertook a pilot projectto supply fresh seafood to a key customer (TajCoromandal — a premier 5 star hotel) at Chennai on acontract basis. The Taj Coromandal emphasized on thesupply of high quality products and timely delivery andaccordingly, the fisherwomen in Thenkumari SHGwere trained on these issues. The produce supplied bythis SHG passes through stringent quality parametersto meet the expectations of Taj customers. The SHGwas supplying 2 kg initially thrice a week, whichincreased to 500 kg per month in 2008. In recognitionof its quality service, the Taj management gave the‘Best Vendor Award’ for the year 2008 to theThenkumari SHG. This project has been a win-winsituation for both the producer and the consumer. Thehotels get quality products directly from the SHG andthe SHG has been able to sustain its business. As aresult, this group has been getting credit support fromIndian Bank, Chennai. The bank has also confirmedthat the repayment record of the SHG has been almost100 per cent for which the SHG was awarded the‘SHG Bank Linkage Programme State Level Awardfor 2006-07’ for timely repayments. Concurrent loansfrom the same branch were increased from Rs 70,000to Rs 3,00,000 (Table 1).Another group, named ‘Sagar Nidhi’ is a self-helpenterprise activity group and was formed by mobilizingfresh-fish retailers of Bengare ward of Mangalore Portin August 2006. The group members were first enrolledas members of the Karavali Fisher’s Processing andMarketing Cooperative Society Ltd. and were providedwith financial and technical assistance. Some of thedevelopmental options discussed with women groupswere direct supply of high- value fishes to hotels andrestaurants, investment requirements for trading highvaluefishes and opening of a retail shop dealing withfishes harvested by following eco-friendly fishingpractices and other sustainable practices like avoidingjuvenile fishes, gillnet fishes, etc. Finally, the groupagreed for setting up of a retail workshop by employingunemployed girls to market the harvested fish andfishery products. The women retailers have beenbenefited in two ways such that they were able toparticipate directly in the auction market and thus saved20-30 per cent in the purchase price, and they wereable to increase their sales from one basket (15 kg) totwo baskets (30-35 kg) per day and net earnings fromRs 100 to Rs 150-175 per day.(ii) Marketing by Producer AssociationsThe study has focused on two such institutions,namely Paminiaru Shrimp Farmers’ Association,Thambikkotai and Marine Fish Marketing by FishermenAssociations, Kombuthurai, both in Tamil Nadu.Table 1. Impact of Thenkumari SHG on the fisherwomenParameters Year2003 2008Quantity supplied per month 24 kg 500 kgPlace of marketing Traditional retail fish markets of Chennai Hotel Taj Coromandel,Chennai – A 5-star hotelType of product Fresh fish Processed high quality fishLevel of skill in processing Low HighCredit support Local money lender with high interest rate Nationalized bank with lowinterest rateLoan sanctioned from bank Rs 70,000 Rs 3,00,000

498 Agricultural Economics Research Review Vol. 23 (Conference Number) 2010An innovative model of collective marketing of ashrimp farmers’ association in the Thambikottai villageof Tiruvarur district was formed by the aquafarmersthemselves in the year 2003, mainly to prevent andmanage collectively the disease outbreaks in the clusterby enforcing better management practices. Initially, itstarted with just 5 farms (35 ponds) and has now growninto 50 farms (320 ponds) today. To market theircultured shrimp, the association calls for quotations frombuyers and negotiates with them for fixing a price forthe total shrimp produced in the cluster. However, thatprice is not a binding and any individual member cannegotiate with the buyer for a higher price. A stampedagreement is signed between the farmer and the buyer.It is then given to the association by the farmersmentioning the agreed amount (per kg of shrimp sold)to be deducted at buyer’s office towards the associationfund to compensate the affected farmers and managethe common resources. It is the responsibility of thebuyer to ensure the payment of this amount to theassociation, which is deposited in the bank.Fish marketing in the Kombuthurai village ofThoothukudi district was similar to the other landingcentres of the region initially. But, the demand forpremium varieties of fish like seer fish, barracudas,carangids, etc. landed in fresh condition and in goodquality by line fishing at Kombuthurai attracted manywholesalers to purchase fish at a better price comparedto other landing centres of the region, where fishesfrom gill netting and trawling are landed. The marketingmethod followed by the fishermen of Kombuthurai wasresorting to daily auction, the major difference of whichfrom the other landing centres was that in Kombuthuraithe fishes were segregated species-wise and auctionedon per-kg-basis and later sold on weight-basis. In thelanding centre, two types of intermediaries, namelyauctioneers and wholesalers were present. Theauctioneers had the responsibility of collecting themoney from the wholesalers and distributed it to thefishermen through fishermen associations. The auctioncharge was 10 per cent of the sales which was collectedfrom the fishermen by the association. In Kombuthurai,there were five fishermen associations as given in Table2 and each association had authorized one auctioneerto auction the fishes landed by its members. Eachauctioneer was paid Rs 5000 per month by theassociation.In the Kombuthurai village, there were 12 regularwholesalers. The wholesalers from other places suchTable 2. Fishermen associations functioning inKombuthurai, Tamil NaduName of the No. of years No. of Vallamfishermen in existence under controlassociationSt. Francis Xavier 25 58St. Mudiapper 20 28St. Rayapper 8 4St. Christuraja 7 25Tuticorin Multipurpose 7 25Social Service SocietyNote: Vallam is a traditional non-mechanized fishing craftused along the southeast coast of Indiaas Thoothukudi, Kanyakumari, Manappad of TamilNadu and from major markets in Kerala purchase fishthrough auction either directly or through their agents.The Kombuthurai fishermen associations fix the priceof product based on its size and species. The averageprice of different varieties of fishes marketed atKombuthurai and other landing centres in Thoothukudidistrict is given in Table 3 for a comparison and to depictthe price advantage the fishermen of the former getthan the latter on account of grading practices.A perusal of Table 3 clearly reveals that theinnovative marketing model followed by the fishermenof Kombuthurai fishing village is a worthy model to befollowed in other marine fish landing centres of thecountry. Segregating the fish catch species-wise andauctioning on weight basis through fishermenassociations, combined with proper market informationTable 3. A comparison of landing price of different fishspecies in Kombuthurai and other landing centresin Thoothukudi, Tamil NaduPrice (Rs/kg)Fish species Kombuthurai Other landingcentresSeer fish 235 150Cuttle fish 150 120Squid 150 100Katsuwonus sp 70 50Alectis sp 65 40Spyraena sp 65 40Carangids 60 40Lethrinus sp 55 30Tuna 50 30

Ganesh Kumar et al. : Lessons from Innovative Institutions in the Marketing of Fish in India 499would result in maximizing income to the fishermenand minimizing exploitation by the middlemen.(iii) Marketing by State-run FisheriesDevelopment CorporationsThe Tamil Nadu Fisheries DevelopmentCorporation Ltd. (TNFDC) has been involved in freshfish marketing through its chain of retail shops for manyyears. Starting with two modern fish retail outlets, called‘Neidhal’ in Chennai city in 2008, it has 10 outlets acrossthe state in 2010. These outlets were found equippedwith a display vesicular unit of deep freezer, fishcleaning and cutting space, electronic balance andstorage space, besides hygienic conditions. The fishprices were kept a little lower than those in thetraditional fish retail markets. Freshwater fish likemurrels were sold in live condition. Fish dressing wasdone in the presence of consumers to get theirconfidence. The consumer could select the fish as thesewere kept in a glass-top freezer. The objective ofstarting the modern retail outlets through stateintervention was to source fish directly from fishermenand to sell to consumers at affordable rates underhygienic conditions. This has enabled the fishermen tomarket without the intervention of middlemen and as aresult, they get a better price for their catch. Acomparison across different market prices has beenfurnished in Table 4.(iv)Marketing by State-run Fisherman andFisherwomen CooperativesMatsyafed, the Kerala State CooperativeFederation for Fisheries Development Ltd., has takena major initiative in organizing the primary auction atthe landing centre (beach) itself, as the majorexploitation of the fishermen occurs there itself.Matsyafed undertakes the auction in the fishing villagesand the cooperatives have become the major force insetting up the beach level auction. Over a period oftime, Matsyafed could make this as its major activity inthe coastal area and many fishermen societies haveachieved a high level of turnover in this process.Matsyafed has taken initiatives to sell fish in thesecondary market as well as through its own the retailsystem directly to the customers. A model retail outlethas been established at the premises of the MatsyafedNet Factory in Cochin. A new system of procurementand sales with staff participation has been designed toensure efficiency and effectiveness with a focus oncustomer’s satisfaction and a better environment forfish sales compared to the old and traditional system.Another innovative outlet was started by Matsyafedas the ‘Fresh Fish Point’, in Cochin in 2006. At thisoutlet, procurement of fish was found aligned with thewholesale market and selling price was fixed accordingto the market forces. The unit could make a sale ofTable 4. A comparison of fish marketing at ‘Neidhal’ and other modern retail outlets and traditional fish marketsParameters Neidhal Reliance Spencer Fish-o-Fish Traditional Traditional(TNFDC) (private (private (private outlet) wholesale retailoutlet) outlet) markets marketsVarieties marketed 8-12 50-150 10-15 10-15 25-40 4-5Price Close to Fixed by Fixed by Close to Based on 20-35%traditional the the company TNFDC variety plus ofwholesale company rates and arrival wholesalemarketmarketOther services Cleaning Cleaning Cleaning Cleaning Nil Nil or on& cutting & cutting & cutting & cutting paymentOutlets 2 in 49 15 4 5 markets 150Chennai citylocalitiesOutlet timings 9.00 am to 9.00 am to 9.00 am to 9.00 am to 4.00 am to 11.00 am to7.00 pm 9.00 pm 9.00 pm 9.00 pm 11.00 am 7.00 pmParking facility Yes Yes Yes Yes No NoAvailability of No Yes Yes Yes No Nosubstitute fish speciesHygiene status Good Good Good Fair Poor Very poor

500 Agricultural Economics Research Review Vol. 23 (Conference Number) 2010Table 5. Performance of ‘Fresh Fish Point’ — A modernretail outlet of Matsyafed (KSCFFD) in Cochin:2006-07ParticularsQuantity of fish purchasedQuantity of fish soldCost of fish purchasesTotal expensesTotal sale valueGross profitFixed expensesIncentivesNet profitAmount32.21 tonnes32.15 tonnesRs 30.57 lakhRs 32.01 lakhRs 40.92 lakhRs 8.91 lakhRs4.64 lakhRs 3.20 lakhRs 1.07 lakhabout Rs 41 lakh in the very first year with a grossprofit of about Rs 9 lakh and a net profit of more thanRs 1 lakh (Table 5). Based on its success, Matsyafedplans to scale up the model to a larger volume by addingabout 500-1000 outlets in next 3 years. It also plans toenlarge the list of fish and fishery products for sale at‘Fresh Fish Point’.In Karnataka, there are strong community-basedcooperatives for the marketing of fish harvested bythe traditional fishers and gill net operators. HadinaaruPatna Meenugaarara Market VyavasthaapanaSamithi was found one such organization providingcredit and marketing services to small-scale fishermen.Another community-based co-operative organizationwas the Mangalore 16 Patna Meenu MarataVyavastha Samithi. It was established in 1962 withthe following specific objectives: (i) to organize themarketing of fish; (ii) to offer credit facilities tofisherwomen for retailing of fish and fishery products;(iii) to provide advance loans for purchasing andprocessing of fish and repairs and maintenance oftraditional fishing crafts and gear, and (iv) to providewelfare services such as support for education andunforeseen contingencies to members and non-memberfamilies under distress. The membership profile andloans advanced to fishermen owning different fishinggears are given in Table 6.(v) Aquachoupal – An ICT-based Supply ChainModelThe e-Choupal is a web supported initiative, offeringfarmers information, customized knowledge productsand services to enhance farm productivity and farmgateprize realization on various crops, viz. soybean,coffee, wheat, rice, pulses and shrimp (Mahalakshmiet al., 2006). The Aquachoupal network, launched in2001 in the state of Andhra Pradesh, includes 55 kiosksreaching 10,000 shrimp farmers in over 300 villages.The Aquachoupal information centers are equipped witha computer connected to the Internet and are locatedin the rural villages (Figure 1). Aquachoupals serveboth as a social gathering place for exchange ofinformation and an e-commerce hub.The supply chain for the Aquachoupal marketingsystem is depicted in Figure 2. The closing price ofprevious day’s marketing is used to determine thebenchmark price at the Aquachoupal for a given day.To initiate a sale, the Sanchalak or Prathinithi of ITCinspects the produce and based on his assessment ofquality, gives a conditional quote to the farmer. Thebenchmark price represents the upper limit on the pricea Prathinithi can quote. If the farmer chooses to sellhis crop to ITC, the Prathinithi gives him a notecontaining details about his name, village, quality of theproduce, approximate quantity and conditional price.The farmer takes the note along with his crop to thenearest ITC procurement hub (processing centre).Table 6. Membership profile and loan advanced by Mangalore 16 Patna Meenu Marata Vyavastha Samithi in 2007-08Type of gear Loan advanced No. of Loan recoveryper unit gear members (% of sale proceeds(Rs) of daily fish catch )Gill nets 30,000 - 40,000 40 10Traditional fishermen (Pattebale, Kanthale) 25,000 - 30,000 50 10Small mechanized boats 20,000 8 5FisherwomenSellers of high-value fishes 25,000 - 40,000 15 10Sellers of small fishes 5,000-10,000 20 10

Ganesh Kumar et al. : Lessons from Innovative Institutions in the Marketing of Fish in India 501Figure 1. The Aquachopal model in Andhra PradeshFigure 2. Supply chain in Aquachoupals in Andhra PradeshAt the ITC procurement hub, produce is tested forquality and weighed. The farmer then gets the paymentin full; he is also reimbursed for transporting his crop tothe procurement hub. Every stage of the process isaccompanied by appropriate documentation. Thefarmer is provided a copy of lab report, agreed rates,and receipts for his records.The farmers sell their produce through Aquachoupalby using their services. The usage pattern and servicesgenerally provided at all the centers include informationon government schemes / procedures, weather forecast,market prices, general FAQs (Frequently AskedQuestions), transactional services like communicationthrough e-mail and chat, buying / selling goods, etc.(Table 7).The study on utilization of services provided byAquachoupals revealed that 36 per cent of therespondents rarely made use of the weather reportfacility (Figure 3), but the pricing facility was used bymost respondents (64%) frequently. They also felt thatthe Aquachoupal provides access to prices on a dailybasis. Therefore, farmers are able to take the criticaldecisions on when and where to sell their crop. Abouthalf of the respondents (51%) made use of thecustomized quality solution facility frequently. Thefarmers showed keen interest to know the ways toprevent infestation of diseases, their detection andeffective disease management. They also opined thatthey could improve crop quality and yield owing tocustomized quality solution given by the Aquachoupals.More than 15 per cent of the farmers made use of thebest practices and FAQ facilities.

502 Agricultural Economics Research Review Vol. 23 (Conference Number) 2010Table 7. Services provided by Aquachoupals in Andhra PradeshServicesWeatherMarket priceCustomized quality solutionBest practicesFAQsCommunicationOthersMeaningsLocalized weather information at the district level.Local and international company’s rates. ITC’s next day rates are published every evening.The prices are displayed prominently on the top of the web page on a scrolling sticker.After the sale of a crop is completed, ITC performs laboratory testing of the samplecollected. Based on these results, farmers are given customized feedback on how they canimprove crop quality and yield.Scientific practices organized by crop type are available on the web site.This feature enables two-way communication. Additional questions are answered throughFAQs and access to experts who respond to e-mails from the village.Prathinithi uses the Internet to chat extensively among themselves about the status ofoperations and aquaculture in their villages.In addition to aquaculture-related information, farmers get information on governmentschemes / procedures, educational information. They are also benefited through informationabout health-oriented programmes such as eye camp, blood testing, and blood donation,etc.Figure 3. Usage pattern of Aquachoupal services in Andhra PradeshThe lessons from various innovations in themarketing institutions dealing with fish and fisheryproducts at selected locations of the country have beensummarized in Table 8. It depicts the factors forsuccess, constraints to up-scaling and suggestions toovercome them under different innovative institutionsin fish marketing.ConclusionsStagnating marine fisheries productivity, rising costof fishing operations and inputs, declining fishermenincome and high price-volatility of fish and fisheryproducts are making this enterprise unremunerative andrisky, leading to distress and unrest among the

Ganesh Kumar et al. : Lessons from Innovative Institutions in the Marketing of Fish in India 503Table 8. Success and constraints faced by the marketing institutionsInnovative marketing Factors for success Constraints SuggestionsinstitutionsSelf-help groups Effective leadership; Competition from market; Regulation by(SHGs) Collective bargaining; Lack of transport facilities; authorities;Win-win situation; Insufficient insulated ice box; Provision of subsidy;Enthusiasm and discipline; Lack of their modern fish Provision of soft loanSelf-confidence due to retailing stall;empowerment;Less income duringInformed decision-making;Better communication.lean season;Loan at very high interestrates from private moneylenders.Producer associations Inclusive membership; Lack of knowledge about Advertisement;Tangible deliverables; product differentiation Brand promotionSocial cohesiveness;Conviction of the farmers.Fishermen and Working in closeness Inability to handle more Active involvementfisherwomen with fishermen; species; of state federationcooperativies Trust and confidentiality; Inability to market the with national apexHygienic shop; whole day; federation,Transparency in weighment Slow expansion of FISHCOPFED;using electronic balance; cooperative societies Increasing the numberLower prices than inof species in saleconventional fish markets;counter;Dressing by trainedExtending the sales forpersonnels;whole dayAvailability of fish filletsand steaks in the outlet.Private institutions Price information on Ignorance of the Awareness creation;daily basis; farmers; On-pond testingSelling decision by Lack of awareness; facilitiesfarmers themselves;Lack of interactionLesser transport cost; with the institution;Improvement in fishLimited number ofproductivity;processing plants andAccessibility of inputs soil and water testingat less cost than infacilities.local market.fishermen communities. At the same time, the sectoris in the process of transformation from a subsistencesystem to a commercial and export-oriented one,throwing open many opportunities for all thestakeholders in this sector. In this process, there areapprehensions that these poor fisher folks would bemarginalized and a bulk of benefits would be siphonedby the middlemen or the agri-business houses. Thisstudy has documented the success stories and thelessons to be drawn for up-scaling them in a similarsocio-politco-economic scenario in the country. Thepolicy implications have been drawn from differenttypes of innovative institutions, which stress on thecollective action of public and private sectors,cooperatives, producer associations, etc. The study hasmentioned about the primary activities of thoseinstitutions in efficient fish marketing such as inboundlogistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing and

504 Agricultural Economics Research Review Vol. 23 (Conference Number) 2010sales promotion and support activities such asinfrastructural facilities, technological backstopping,price information and procurement. Through theseadvantages, the fishermen could achieve economiesof scale, technological innovations, capacitydevelopment, linkage across activities, degree ofvertical integration, timing of market entry, productdifferentiation, market access, credit access, etc. Thestudy has suggested replication of such successfulinnovative institutions in marketing the fish and fisheryproducts through appropriate policies and programmes.Awareness should be generated among the fishermencommunity about the need, importance and advantagesof such collective action through institutions like SHGs,producer / fishermen associations, cooperatives, etc.so that the exploitation of middlemen in the productionto-consumptionchain in this fledging sector could beminimized. Entry of private agencies in this regardshould also be promoted with appropriate regulatorymechanism so as to prevent possible exploitation offishermen community.ReferencesAcharya, S.S. (1997) Agricultural marketing in India: Policyframework, emerging issues and needed initiatives. TheBihar Journal of Agricultural Marketing, 5 (3): 253-269.Ali, E.A., Gaya, H.I.M. and Jampada, T.N. (2008) Economicanalysis of fresh fish marketing in maiduguri gamborumarket and kachallari alau dam landing site ofNortheastern Nigeria. Jouranl of Agriculture and SocialScience, 4: 23-26.Ayyappan, S. and Krishnan, M. (2004) Fisheries sector inIndia: Dimensions of development. Indian Journal ofAgricultural Economics, 59 (3): 392-412.Chahal, S.S., Singh, S. and Sandhu, J.S. (2004) Price spreadsand marketing efficiency of inland fish in Punjab: Atemporal analysis. Indian Journal of AgriculturalEconomics, 59 (3): 498.Gupta, V.K. (1984) Marine Fish Marketing in India (VolumeI – Summary and Conclusions). IIM Ahmedabad &Concept Publishing Company, New Delhi.Katiha, P.K. and Barik, N.K. (2004) Governance, institutionsand policies for fisheries of floodplain wetlands. IndianJournal of Agricultural Economics, 59 (3): 490.Kumar, K.G. (2010) Women Fish Vendors in India: AnInformation Booklet. International Collective in Supportof Fishworkers (ICSF), Chennai.Mahalakshmi, P., Vimala, D.D. and Krishnan, M. (2006). Webkiosks in aquaculture: A study of aquachoupal model inPrakasam district of Andhra Pradesh. Proceedings ofthe National Seminar on Extension Strategies forFostering Knowledge-centric Agricultural Growth,Puducherry, 2-3 December, 2006.Punhani, R. (2001) Agricultural marketing with specialreference to horticulture produce. The Bihar Journal ofAgricultural Marketing, 9 (1): 1-6.Srivastava, U.K. and Kant, Uma (1985) Inland Fish Marketingin India (Volume I – Overview: Summary andConclusions), IIM Ahmedabad & Concept PublishingCompany, New Delhi.