Efficiency of domestic marine fish marketing in India - a macro analysis

Abstract

The rapid economic growth and expansion of domestic retail sector in India has created a significant market for fresh and processed fish and fishery products within the country. The increase in the prices of fresh as well as processed fish is very much higher than all other food products. A macro level analysis of the efficiency of domestic marine fish marketing in India during the period 2000-2008 showed that, lobsters (80.37%), sharks (77.12%), seerfish (75.22%) and mackerel (71.29%) earned comparatively higher share of the consumer rupee for fishermen than the other varieties. The prices of high value fishes like pomfrets, seer fishes, mullets and cephalopods are comparatively stable than the low value fishes like oilsardines, lizard fishes, rays, threadfins, croakers and silverbellies. Even though market expansion ensured better share for the producers in the consumer's rupee in most of the varieties, producers and consumers still bear the brunt of monopoly of big traders dominating at the point of first sales