An Online Platform for Fish Sales, Marketing to be Developed Soon

The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), with the aim to help the fishermen community, consumers and processors has launched a new venture to develop an online platform for fish marketing in India.

The project aims to create an information system for fish marketing, pricing & to facilitate an e-auctioning system for the commercially vital fish species. Around 1,500 fish markets that include landing centres, retail markets, wholesale markets and aquaculture markets all over the country will be included in the system.

The National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), Hyderabad is funding the project. In the initial phase, information about 500 fish markets from 7 coastal states will be collected.

The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute will gather all required information and report the weekly fish prices via electronic tabs & will develop an online database. Entire dimensions of the markets like the geographic location, size, timing, access to transport, species traded, infrastructure facility, arrival & distribution and average realised minimum & maximum rate of around 150 fishes will be available on the websites of CMFRI (www.cmfri.org.in) and NFDB (www.nfdb.gov.in) from October 2019. A separate website will be developed later on. In addition, 50 markets will be covered in Kerala in the opening stage.

An orientation session was held to teach representatives from selected fish markets across Kerala at CMFRI this Monday. Mr. Shyam S Salim, Principal Scientist at the Socio-Economic Division of Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute is the Principal Investigator of the research project.