No abstract

Fish marketing is an efficient economic production system which depends on several multi-level market functionaries from producers to consumers. The perfect model of fish market systems entails continuum in flow of the goods and services with high level of customer satisfaction. With this viewpoint, the current study was focused on analysing the different types of domestic fish markets across 14 districts of Kerala. The objective of the study is to quantify different market attributes such as type of domestic fish markets, frequency of fish consumption by consumers, source of purchase, access to the markets and consumers' perception to choose markets according to their seafood requirements. Moreover, the current work was also focused towards analysing the opinions of consumers on buying fish while travel and travelling to buy fish. About 355 fish consumers (77% Male and 23% Female) from 82 registered domestic fish markets were interviewed based on the random sampling technique. The fish marketing network of three types of markets such as wholesale, retail and landing centre markets were studied in detail. From the geographical origin and settings, the markets were categorised into three namely, coastal markets, noncoastal markets and high-range markets. The study found that 65% of the respondents buy fish while travelling on hunch for ease. The inclination of fish buy amongst the respondents were higher from the retail markets (179) followed by wayside stalls (80) and vendors (71). The fish consumption rate among the 355 respondents comprised of 45% of daily-fish eaters, 33% alternative day eaters followed by biweekly (12%), weekly (8%) and fortnightly (2%). The fish marketing channels varied across the different type of markets. However, the marketing efficiency was lowest in the registered domestic markets whereas it was highest in the unregistered wayside stalls. On the other hand, marketing efficiency is also influenced the preference of choosing fish markets for procurement across the respondents. The market infrastructure of unregistered wayside stalls was observed to be poor in terms of fish handling, icing, packaging, and cold storage and transportation facilities. The study also identified the constraints experienced by the registered fish markets and also recorded specific policy recommendations to be implemented in Kerala fish markets to efficiently transmute both the registered domestic fish markets and unregistered wayside stalls.

The fish marketing system of Kerala deserves to be highly efficient as compared to that of the country. The demand-supplygap is ironed by the fish arrivals from the other states and there exists huge price variations of fish identified among thelanding centres, wholesale and retail markets of Kerala. The study analysed the price volatilities and species diversity,across different markets. Results of the study suggest that the supply side constraints and the monopsony conditions ofthe fish markets are the major factors responsible for the high price instability. The prices of low value fish species havenot been stable for several reasons and the prices varied depending on species, seasons and abundance of other fish andfishery products. The study suggests that the development of a Fish Market Price Information System (FMPIS) to act asa decision support system would ensure fish market and price information dissemination about availability, accessibilityand affordability of fish which also enables different stakeholders, mainly fishers in identifying target prices or markets;consumers with rational choices about fish availability and traders with inputs for better marketing efficiency. Keywords: Market diversity, Marketing efficiency, Price stability, Species diversity