The Kerala Matsya Thozhilali Aikyavedi (Fish Workers Joint Forum) has sought the usage of the Central Government’s Emergency Disaster Relief Fund to alleviate the problems faced by fishermen in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and the restrictions associated with it.

Charles George, president of the Forum, said the Kerala Government has requested the Centre to allow ₹686 crore from the Emergency Disaster Relief Fund as an aid for the sector. The State has already come out with a relief package of ₹2,000 per month for each fisherman, besides distributing free ration and food kits. But this will not suffice to compensate for the losses faced by the community due to their inability to venture into the seas due to the restrictions.

Quoting reports, he said the fishing industry has suffered a loss of around ₹3,500 crore till May 1 following the lockdown. Apart from this, the sector is facing a crisis due to a “drought of fish”. The decrease in the production of sardines has proved costly for the fishermen, whose losses have risen to around ₹10,000 crore in the last five years.

The fisheries co-ordination committee has already demanded a family pension of ₹5,000 per month to compensate for the losses due to the scarcity of fish. However, the State Government could not allocate the required sum in the budget due to financial constraints.

The Covid situation has further aggravated the problem, bringing the fisheries industry to a standstill. Besides fishermen, the restrictions have impacted the distribution, storage, preservation and export sectors as well, he added.

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