Fish Marketing Dynamics in the Modern Fish Market of Ludhiana, Punjab, India

Abstract

Efficient fish marketing has critical role in resolving issues of food security and sustainable livelihood, hence, this study was intended to provide details of such key characteristics on prevailing domestic fish marketing dynamics of the modern fish market in Ludhiana. The information with respect to current fish market trends, including infrastructure facilities, species composition, seasonal availability, price index, waste management and consumer preference for fish, was collected at every two months interval by direct observation and interviews through developed questionnaire. The market was functional throughout the year, from where a total of 38 fish species were recorded, of which 80.35% was sourced from capture fisheries. Based on species composition, 46.66% of the recorded fish species came from capture fisheries resources of Punjab, while 62.5% of the recorded species were sourced from other states. Besides, approximately, 5-10 tons of fishes transported to different states, like- Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana and Assam, on daily basis. Among consumers, the higher demands for boneless fishes were observed, mostly during winters/specific occasions. Though this modern fish market has significant role in supplying fish, several challenges have also been observed, including inappropriate waste management and lack of cold storage facilities.  Therefore, the findings of the present study can serve as resourceful database that can be further utilized for planning and upgrading the domestic fish market related strategies and to improve the post-harvest management practices.