Value Chain Analysis of Small Scale Dry Fish Species in Haor Area of Sunamganj District, Bangladesh (original) (raw)
The present study was carried out during the period from January to June, 2006 to find out the fish marketing and packaging system at Singra bazar, Natore lal bazar, Chackoir bazar, Lalpur bazar, Bagatipara bazar and Baraigram bazar. The Paikers carried the fish (about 42%) to the markets by their own or hired transport and sell those to wholesalers who in turn sold those fish to the retailer. On the other hand, farmers sold their fish directly to the wholesaler (about 51%); the wholesalers sold it to the retailer and rest of 7% sold by the fish farmer to the retailer directly. Numbers of retailers were found 45 at Singra, 32 at Gurudaspur, 56 at Natore lal bazar, 26 at Bagatipara, 25 at Lalpur and 36 at Baraigram. Among the fish market, highest fish sold by retailer at Natore lal bazar (210 Kg. /day) and lowest at Bagatipara bazar (98 Kg. /day) and average prices of fishes were down from January to March and high in April to June. We observed that the total marketing cost was estimated at 694 Tk. /quintal from farmers to retailer. Transportation (20.2%) was more expensive sector among other expenses such as aratder commission (15.6%), wastage (13.7%), and personal expenses (12.5%). The average net margin profit of fisherman was 370 Tk. /quintal, aratder was 270 Tk. /quintal, wholesaler was 402 Tk. /quintal and retailer was 604 Tk. /quintal. Among the packaging system, bamboo (30%), aluminum container (22%), plastic half drum (19%), plastic crate (15%), plastic full drum (7%), steel half drum (5%), and cork sheet (2%) were chosen for intermediaries. 1. Introduction In Bangladesh, fisheries sector is having a great importance by provide food, employment generation and brush up the economic status of peoples. Fisheries sector contributes 3.65% to GDP and about 18 million people are involved to maintain their livelihood directly or indirectly (DOF 2016) [1]. Most of the fishes come from the inland closed water bodies, which consists of ponds, shrimp farm, haors, baors and seasonal wetland. In Bangladesh, these captured fishes are sold from producers to consumers through a marketing channel. In Bangladesh most of the fish markets are run by a traditional system where peoples are like to purchase the fishes with bargaining. Fish consumers are to depend on an effective fish marketing system, through which fishes will be available to them within a short period before decomposition of fishes. There are many International Non-Government Organization (INGO) and Non-Government Organization (NGO) who are working collaborate with the Government of Bangladesh for increase the fish production but neither the government nor the development partners have taken any pragmatic steps to improve the fish marketing system, which is an important component of fisheries sector. In the fish marketing channel, there are many components such as commission agents (Aratdar), middlemen (paikers, wholesalers, and retailer), producer (farmers) and consumers. According to Khan (1995) [3] , two marketing channels were found in the greater Mymensingh area; one of them was producer to consumers through commission agent, wholesalers, and retailers; and another was producer to consumers through only wholesalers. Rokeya et al. (1997) [4] have observed that five types of people were involved in the distribution network from producer to consumers in Rajshahi fish markets. In developed countries, there is a strong correlation between fish famers and fish intermediaries but in Bangladesh there is no well practice to sell their fish from producer to consumers. In 1997, DFID found some constraints in marketing channel such as ice availability and poor road facilities, and where farmers are particularly in weak position than