Fish Marketing: A Study of Marine Fish in Kerala (India)

This book examines the development of industrial capitalism and structural change in the marketing of fish in the fishery sector of Kerala. The state of Kerala is one of the leading maritime states of Indian Union and is blessed with excellent maritime, inland and estuarine fisheries potential. With the implementation of the Indio-Norwegian Project in 1953, by which the mechanization processes were initiated, the fishery sector in Kerala underwent great change. It introduced a sharp dualism into the fish economy of Kerala and changed the structure of fish marketing reducing the marketing power of the fish producers/sellers. Mechanization helped to increase production and productivity, however, the fishermen are only the peripheral beneficiaries of the mechanization effort. Exploitation of fishermen increased along with the progress of the fishery sector. This study focuses mainly on the internal marketing of marine fish in Kerala. It examines the price spread in three channels of fish marketing. It deals with the price setting at the landing centres and at the wholesale markets. This work critically examines the supply response to price changes for sixteen varieties of fish in Kerala and seeks to evaluate the role of institutional agencies in marine fish marketing.