Status of the Largest Dry Fish Market of East India: a Study on Egra
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ISSN: 2347-3215 Volume 2 Number 5 (May-2014) pp. 54-65 www.ijcrar.com Status of the largest dry fish market of East India: A study on Egra Regulated Dry Fish Market, Egra, Purba Medinipur, West Bengal Sudipta Kumar Ghorai1*, Santosh kumar Bera1, Debanjan Jana2, Somnath Mishra3 1Department of Zoology, Egra SSB College, West Bengal, India 2Department of Biotechnology, Haldia Institute of Technology, West Bengal, India 3Department of Geography, Kalagachia Jagadish Vidyapith, West Bengal, India *Corresponding author KEYWORDS A B S T R A C T The present investigation was conducted to find out the effectiveness of Egra Dry fish market; regulated dry fish market as a marketing system in importing and exporting dry trading system; fish from different coastal areas of Bay of Bengal to different parts of India, Egra Regulated specially north east India . The market was surveyed from April 2013 to March Dry Fish Market 2014. The study area was purposively selected and the trading system was analyzed. The market operates actively once in a week. Survey question schedule was made for the collection of data. Several species of coastal and marine dried fish like patia, lahara, vola, chanda, ruli etc were commonly available in the market. Different types of businessmen are involved in the trading system like fish processor, Beparis, Aratdars, Wholesalers, and Retailers etc. The survey revealed that the trading system till now is seasonal and the activity remains maximum in the October to January season. The price of dried marine fish varies with the size, availability, quality of the fish species. Transport, labor and electricity also play significant role in selling price determination. The marketing system is associated with a good employment generation involve men and women. The main barrier of the sustainable development of the market is lack of infrastructure, poor road condition, price instability etc. Introduction India is the second largest fish producing (Dan, 1985). Fish is an important part of country with the contribution of 5.43% in the regular diet and is a cheap source of global fish production and West Bengal has protein for the peoples of West Bengal. been able to secure the second position About 78% of total fish catch is consumed among all the states of India (FAO, 2012). in fresh condition, 6% is used as dry fish West Bengal has a coastline of 157.5 km and rest is used as frozen fish. Indian dry and covers mainly the districts of South and fish export contributes 8% of all form of North 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur f i s h e x p o r t s a n d earned 754crores during 54 2012-2013 (MPEDA, 2013). The Materials and methods nutritional quality of dried fish remains intact, sometimes retains higher quality Groups Surveyed standards compared to fresh fish (Faruque et al., 2012). The dry fish marketing involve a long marketing channel system starting from the Marine fish drying is very common in the fish processors, Beparis, Aratdars, and entire coastal zones of India. In West Wholesalers to Retailers and consumers. Bengal this practice is restricted to 24 Some individuals of all the above Pargganas and Purba Medinipur. These mentioned groups are surveyed several dried fishes have demand both in domestic times season wise from April 2013 to and international market and plays an March 2014.A standard survey schedule is important role in employment generation of prepared as followed by M.B.J.Karuki, coastal poor people (Goswami et al., 2002). 2011. The fish processors are interviewed In this dry fish marketing channel people in their fish drying places which are located involved early in the production chain mainly in the coastal belts of Purba (fishing and drying) add relatively more Medinipur (viz.Digha mohona, Jaldakhoti, value and make little profit due to small Sankarpur, Saula very, Junput etc.). All the scale production, poor product quality, lack other groups are interviewed in the dry fish of market access and high transportation market of Egra. In this system the people cost/toll/taxation etc.( Nowsad,2007). involved in processing of dried fish are called fish processor. In the processing Egra regulated dry fish market, Purba industry two categories of workers are Medinipur, West Bengal is the largest common. The first group comprises owners regulated dry fish market of West Bengal, of drying enterprises and the others are India. Different kinds of dried fish from all labor. The latter group also includes female dry fish processing area of coastal West workers, child along with men. Beparis are Bengal (Digha Mohona, Sankarpur, relatively large and professional trader who Jaldakhoti,Saula veri Junput, Sagar Island) bought dried fish from fish processors and and Odisha usually come to this market. generally sell it to the wholesalers, retailers These dried fish later supplied to different in wholesale market. markets such as Assam, Siliguri, Odisha, Bihar and some other parts of India and Analysis of Survey data abroad.The most common dry fish traded in this market are patia, lahra,tapra,vola, ruli, All the collected data were reduced to tauri boi, kagja, mourala,chanda etc. tabular form using standard statistical methods. For dry fish marketing, The present study was performed to commission agents involved were understand the marketing channel, the identified and marketing costs and profits margin of profit in different levels, hygiene were determined using flow diagrams condition and associated risk, and the (Islam, 2006). All calculations were future prospect of the market. calculated by using Microsoft Excel 2007. 55 Marine fish production, West Bengal A South 24 Porgonas First B Purba Medinipur Second C North 24 Porgonas Third Fig.1 Districts of West Bengal with high marine fish producing potential Common available dried marine fish Result and Discussion Rupapatia (Lepturacanthus savala): Marketing Channel of Egra Regulated Classification: Actinopterygii (ray-finned dry fish market fishes) > Perciformes (Perch-like) > Trichiuridae(Cutlassfishes) > Trichiurinae All dried fish traded in this market pass Common length: 70.0 cm through private channels. Different categories of businessman are involved Biology: Inhabits coastal waters and often such as fish processors, Beparis, Aratdars, comes near the surface at night. Feeds on Wholesalers and retailers. In general variety of small fishes and crustaceans. Beparis collect the dried fish from the fish Caught mainly with shore seines, bagnets processors and sell it to the Aratdars. and coastal bottom trawls .Marketed fresh Wholesalers purchase from Aratdars and and iced as well as dried salted (FishBase, sell it to the retailers and consumers in the 2013). market. Total marketing channel of dry fish is presented through a flow diagram. 56 Fishermen 100% Processor 15% 60% Beparis Paikers 25% 95% 100% wholesalers 90% Aratdars 5% 10% 10% 10% 65% 15% Retailer industry Whole country Export consumer Tauri boi (Liza persia): Biology: Inhabit shallow coastal waters. Feed on detritus, minute benthic Classification: Actinopterygii (ray-finned invertebrates and algae. Oviparous, eggs fishes) > Mugiliformes (Mullets) > are pelagic and non-adhesive (FishBase, Mugilidae (Mullets) 2013). Common length: 20.0 cm 57 Tapra (Opisthopterus tardoore): Ruli (Coilia dussumieri): Classification: Actinopterygii (ray-finned Classification: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Clupeiformes (Herrings) > fishes) > Clupeiformes (Herrings) > Pristigasteridae (Pristigasterids) Engraulidae (Anchovies) > Coiliinae Common length: 15.0 cm Common length: 17.0 cm Biology: Found close to shore and also Biology: A coastal and estuarine species, entering estuaries (e.g. Aluhaluh on Barito occurring in fully saline water, but also able River in Kalimantan, Indonesia). Ascends to tolerate lowered salinities, perhaps rivers into the tidal zone. Feeds on mysids, almost fresh water. Feeds on copepods, Pseudodiaptomus and copepod eggs, also prawn and fish larvae, various unidentified prawns and other small crustaceans, bivalve crustaceans and cypris, also stomatopod eggs and larvae, amphipods and small larvae, mysids, polychaete larvae, isopods fishes. Spawns in late February or early and Sagitta. The breeding season is perhaps March to July or August (around Karwar, extended; probably entering estuaries to India) (FishBase, 2013). breed (FishBase, 2013). Vola (Panna microdon): Traders Classification: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Perciformes (Perch-likes) > Egra regulated dry fish market is the largest Sciaenidae (Drums or croakers) dry fish market in West Bengal. Several Common length: 20.0 cm Aratdars and wholesalers operate here. It is estimated that 14000 to 18000 tons of dried Biology: Inhabits shallow coastal waters fish move through Egra regulated market and estuaries; young and juveniles occur in per annum. The market remains most active mangrove swamps. Also caught with during the winter season (October to bottom trawls, and hand-lines. Sold fresh January) as the supply and climate remains and dried salted in markets (FishBase, most consistent. Rest of the season the 2013). supply of the fish falls (Fig 1 & 2). The dry fish trading system in West Bengal depends Lahara (Harpadon nehereus): on several stakeholders like fish processor, Classification: Actinopterygii (ray-finned Beparis, Aratdars, Wholesalers and fishes) > Aulopiformes (Lizard fishes) > Retailers. Synodontidae Common length: between 10 and 25 cm Mode of Transport Biology: Benthopelagic, inhabits deep In general the fish drying farms