Kendrapara: Dishes prepared from saltwater fish have virtually disappeared from the dining tables of non-vegetarians of Kendrapara district, thanks to the 21-day long lockdown imposed to contain the spread of deadly coronavirus.
According to locals, amid lockdown, fishermen here have stopped going to the sea resulting in fish markets here running out of stock. Cashing in on the situation, fish traders of Mahakalapada, Rajnagar and adjoining areas have allegedly hiked prices.
Saltwater fish varieties such as pomfret, silver mullet, kani, khuranta, bhekti and khasuli are in high demand and have gone beyond common man’s reach.
“Generally the price of pomfret never goes above Rs 300 a kilogram. Now the same is being sold for Rs 450 a kilogram. Similarly, kani fish selling at Rs 250 a kilogram is rare. It was earlier being sold for Rs 150 a kilogram,” said a consumer at Kendrapara town fish market while adding “We know the supply has reduced owing to the lockdown. That said, the price hike is not proportionate at all.”
Arakshita Behera, a fish trader at Kendrapara town fish market said they did not have any role in the price hike.
“The lockdown has brought all activities at Paradip port to a standstill. The fish processing units here have since been lying shut. Fishermen are reluctant to venture into the sea as they are not getting helping hands. All these factors are responsible for the hike,” Behera added.
Meanwhile, the lockdown has also rendered most of these fishermen jobless.
According to Haladhar Sethi, a member of Odisha Fishermen Association, about one lakh fishermen in this district are facing difficulties because of the lockdown. The Rs 1.7 lakh crore package announced by the central government would not benefit one lakh fishermen living in Kendrapara alone because they have not been included under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi.
“At least a financial assistance of Rs 10,000 a month should be given to each fisherman’s family for the coming three months,” he said.
All Odisha Marine Fish Producers’ Association general secretary Sumant Biswal, meanwhile, said that fishermen have not been restricted from going into the sea. The situation has come to such a pass because of non-availability of labourers and due to transportation and processing units shutting down. Biswal urged the administration to identify fishermen families and help them tide over the difficult times.
PNN