Marketing of fish and fishery products in Dinajpur and livelihoods of the fish retailers

Marketing of fish and fishery products in Dinajpur and livelihoods of the fish retailers were studied during the period from January to May, 2013. A total of 60 fish retailers were interviewed for obtaining pertinent data. A survey questionnaire was developed, pre-tested and finally used for collection of data. The collected data were tabulated using conventional statistical tools. The result showed that the livelihoods of a large number of people are associated with fish and fishery products distribution and marketing in six different markets. Three types of marketing channel were found to be operated in the selected markets. The shorter marketing chain which included the fish farmers, retailers and consumers was found to be more beneficial to the fish producers. Fish traders in village markets generally operate a capital of around TK. 8,000-10,000 and traders in town markets a capital of around TK. 10,000-20,000 per day. It was found that most of the fish traders used their own money. Price of fish depends on market structure, species, and freshness, supply demand of fish and size of fishes. There are seasonal variation in prices with the highest in summer (March to May), and lowest in pre-winter: (September to November) during the fish harvesting season. Different types of dried and salted fish were sold in the markets. Traders have broadly improved their food consumption facilities, standard of living, and purchasing power as an economic sector. However, the unhygienic conditions of the marketplace, lack of ice facilities, poor infrastructure, inadequate storage and poor transportation facilities were reported to be the major constraints hindering the marketing system in the surveyed areas. It is therefore necessary to provision of governmental, institutional and banking assistance for improvement of the marketing system