Kerala to launch online fish delivery portal

Public sector Kerala State Coastal Area Development Corporation has launched Parivarthanam, to deliver seafood to the consumers’ doorstep, and set up a dedicated portal.

The initiative has been launched with a view to improving the socio-economic conditions of coastal communities by forging closer links with industry and enhancing the livelihood skills of the youth along the coastline, an official spokesman said.

Sheik Pareeth, Managing Director of the Corporation, said Kerala has a long tradition of processing seafood to Scandinavian quality, but its benefits have been denied to home consumers. ‘We seek to change this scenario and redirect the processing technology towards the home market and establishing a quality supply chain to deliver fish to homes,” said Roy Nagendran, Team leader.

Boat owners keen

A series of preliminary meetings have been held already with traditional fisher societies in Kollam and boat owners have expressed keen interest in participating with the initiative.

Parivarthanam will ensure that fish sourced either from catch or drawn live from the farms meets ICAR-CIFT (Central Institute of Fisheries Technology) standards. Every fish product and seafood unit will carry the quality stamp of CIFT, India’s leading research centre in fishing and fish processing.

Hi-tech supply chain

High-tech surveillance systems will monitor the temperature of fish all through the supply chain till delivery, ensuring freshness and food safety. Producers in Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha will be made an integral part of this and encouraged to become entrepreneurs. The project also envisages a range of value-added products that include dry fish, pickles and marinated fish.

Besides delivering fish to homes, Parivarthanam also focuses on skill development and job creation for college dropouts and Gulf returnees who lost their jobs from the pandemic. Preference will also be given to the kin of women fish vendors whose livelihoods are threatened by aggressive private players.