Seemandhra stir leaves fishing industry in the lurch

The industry has witnessed a loss of more than Rs 60 crore in revenues during the past month

The marine fishing industry in  coastal Andhra Pradesh has lost more than Rs 60 crore revenues in the last one month, courtesy the ongoing agitations against the state’s bifurcation.

“Even after a 70-80 per cent fall in prices of some fish varieties, there are no takers,” said YGK Murthy, president, Association of Indian Fishery Industry, and added lack of transportation was the prime concern for buyers, forcing even boat operators to halt venturing into the sea.

The season is known for fish catch like Skip Jack Tuna, Marlin and Fails. More than 100 tonne fish is lying at Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Machilipatnam, Krishnapatnam and other fishing harbours as there are no buyers, he said. Exporters from Kerala and Tamil Nadu procure fish from here every year.“Over the last 25-30 days, they have not been taking our material due to lack of transportation. This comes at a time when the prices have fallen significantly,” he added.

Skip Jack Tuna fish, which was available at Rs 100-110 a kg a month ago, is currently prevailing at Rs 10-15 per kg. Other varieties are ruling at Rs 30-40, down from Rs 120 per kg a month ago.    

While there has been a drop in offtake from Kerala and Tamil Nadu traders, local sales too have reduced sharply. Against this backdrop, on each voyage, mechanised boat operators are losing Rs 20,000-25,000, according to PC Appa Rao, AP Mechanised Fishing Boat Operators Association.  

Also hit by the ongoing agitation are around 400 fishing women, who sell 40-50 tonne fish each day in the local market. These women are not able to move the stock to the local market for lack of bus transport and on high charges demanded by auto operators, Rao said.