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Abstract
The Kolleru Lake area (KLA) in Andhra Pradesh being a predominant centre for carp culture is known as
the ‘Carp Pocket of India’. This paper has described the highly efficient fish marketing system prevalent in
the KLA and has compared it with the marketing of Indian Major Carps (IMC) in other major aquaculture
states like West Bengal and Orissa and marine states like Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. The marketing
channels, market intermediaries, price spread and marketing efficiency have been presented. A comparison
of the marketing channels at several fish markets has revealed that the price spread for IMC from Kolleru
is highest at the Mumbai market and lowest at the Coimbatore market. Consequently, fishermen’s share in
consumer price has been found highest for Coimbatore at 61.54 per cent and lowest for Mumbai at 47.06 per
cent. Similarly, the marketing efficiency was the highest for Coimbatore at 2.60 and lowest for Mumbai at
1.89. Retail price for KLA carps has been found lower than locally cultured carps at various areas, reflecting
the efficiency of the marketing channel in providing cheap fish transported over large distances and
through a large number of intermediaries. The reasons for the efficient IMC marketing system at KLA have
been discussed and the study has recommended the development of efficient fish marketing system in
other parts of the country.