By Hemant Kumar Rout, IANS
Bhubaneswar : Thousands of fishermen in Orissa who once had a flourishing business in dry fish – considered a delicacy in some parts of India – have now fallen upon bad times.
For around 30 years more than 100,000 people from around 50,000 families in the five districts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara were involved in the dry fish business.
But now many of them find it difficult to get even two square meals a day. Low fish catch, too many middlemen, rising costs and an apathetic government have led to this situation, the fishermen say.
“I would not allow my son to get into the dry fish business that I had been doing for years. We would get higher returns if we diverted the same time to other jobs,” says Arjun Mallick, a fisherman of Balasore district.
Adds Rabi Majhi of Jagatsinghpur district, “Now we are in the business not for money but out of compulsion. We don’t know any other kind of work except the dry fish business.”
Neglected by the government and exploited by middlemen, many dry fish producers like Mallick and Majhi find it difficult to provide for their families.
Things are particularly bad at the Balaramgadi, Kasaphal, Dhamara, Chudamani, Chandabali, Bhutmundei, Paradeep, Kantapal, Gadgadighat and Talchua fishing bases.
The reduction in fish catch – of species like mullet, ribbon fish, mackarel and beckty – is the biggest worry. The fisher folk in the Paradeep and Chandinipal regions – once famous as dry fish producing centres – are now struggling for survival.
Reports say that earlier the state used to produce more than 300 tonnes of dry fish daily, with Paradeep and Chandinipal contributing 50 tonnes and 25 tonnes respectively. But now the produce has come down to only 100 tonnes a day.
“The dry fish of Orissa used to have a high demand in West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Assam and other northeastern states. But the demand has gone down as have the fish catch and market linkages,” Sarat Jena, secretary of the Dhamara fisherman association, told IANS.
According to the fishermen, they used to prepare dry fish from at least 20 types of marine fishes. After the catch, they used to dry the fish on sand.
“But now due to pollution on the beaches, fish has to be dried on bamboo platforms. This has also enhanced the cost of production,” added Jena.
Surendra Majhi, a dry fish producer, puts the blame on middleman. “They buy the dry fish at Rs.10 to Rs.25 per kg, but export them at Rs.50 to Rs.100 per kg.”
The fishermen allege there are no government schemes to provide financial aid to dry fish producers. As a result they turn to private moneylenders for loans at high interest rates.
Producers also have to bear the cost of transporting the dry fish to middlemen.
But little help is in sight. Fishery officials blame fishermen, saying the rampant and ruthless fishing has led to a decline in the fish population.
“Senseless fishing has caused tremendous damage to the biodiversity of the region and we are paying the price now. Unabated fishing during the breeding season, unrestricted fishing by power boats, trawlers and scanty rainfall are the other reasons for the fast disappearance of the most sought after fish species,” Janaki Das, deputy director of fisheries, told IANS.