Fish Marketing in Chaur Areas of Bihar - A Study of Disposal Pattern, Price Spread and Marketing Efficiency

Abstract

Chaurs are the flood plains or the shallow transitional lands in Northern Bihar, which act as nurturing grounds for large amount of fish resources. Both culture and capture fisheries are practiced in this area. The study was intended to identify prevailing marketing channels as well as to estimate the price spread and marketing efficiency of the channels. Three marketing channels operate in disposing of fish from chaur areas. The channelfirst, which involves direct marketing of fish from producers to consumers, was the shortest and most efficient with market efficiency of 69.7 and price spread of Rs.2.12 kg-1. Most of the catch (90.7%) of culture fishery and 52.6% of capture fisheries were disposed of through the channel-II, where vendors act as intermediaries. Only 3.5% of cultured fish was sold in distant wholesale market through channelIII. Channel-III was found to be the least efficient. Distant markets have higher disposal capacity and price realisation better this marketing channel and hence needs to be tapped by organising producers in the form of marketing cooperatives.