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The lockdown might have forced many Keralites to sacrifice their favourite fish dish from their meals. The scarcity for fresh fish in the wake of restrictions on fishing operations has created trouble in many households, as an average Malayalee cannot imagine lunch without fish.
It is at this juncture that Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Ernakulam, under Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) came to the aid of many households within a 4-km-radius of Kochi city by arranging door delivery of fresh fish following the lockdown imposed in the State on March 27. The initiative has started receiving encouraging response, with the average daily supply touching 510 kg.
“Currently, we are catering to around 350 homes daily, at an average daily sale value of ₹1.6 lakh,” Shinoj Subramanian, Senior Scientist, and Head, KVK (Ernakulam), told BusinessLine .
The varieties of fish on sale include pearl spot, sea bass, pompano, and crabs, among others. They are procured from Pokkali farms in suburban Cheranallur, Paravur, Ezhikkara where KVK assists farmers to carry out both rice and fish farming.
KVK has imparted training to Kadappuram Fresh Fish Vitharana Sangham, a self-help group, for the supply of fish based on corona prevention protocol, by issuing a certificate of authenticity, Subramanian said. The SHG collects fish from KVK’s partner farmers at farm gate, cleans and supplies to consumers’ homes.
A list of available fish and their images, along with price details, are circulated among consumers through WhatsApp messages every morning. Cleaned fish is delivered to the buyers daily before noon. Farmers are happy that they are able to sell the harvested fish easily and get payment instantly at their farms, he added.
The initiative assumes significance at a time when all the main fish landing centres and retail fish outlets in the district are closed, either completely or partially following the lockdown.
On the other hand, fish farmers are also facing issues in marketing their fish and are struggling to maintain fish stock due to high operational expenditure and feed cost. Cage fish farmers are not getting low-value fish feed to Asian seabass, pompano, trevally, and red snapper, among others.
In this context, the initiative launched by KVK is turning out to be a great support to both farmers and consumers, he added.
There are plans to start door delivery of poultry meat to cater to the demand of the ensuing Easter festive season, he added.
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