Boat owners in Kochi demand govt. intervention to end alleged exploitation by agents

‘Higher discount being demanded on auction price of fish landings in harbours’

The All Kerala Fishing Boat Operators’ Association has appealed to the State government to step in and prevent “exploitation” of fishers by fish buyers and agents, who were allegedly demanding up to 16% discount on the auction price of fish landings in harbours even as the annual trawling ban is set to end on the midnight of Saturday. The boat owners alleged that the agents had threatened not to buy the catch if the discount offered on auction price was not hiked to 16%. Association president Peter Mathias and general secretary Joseph Xavier Kalapurackal said fish buying agents had demanded that the present “auction discount” of 13% be raised to 16%. The “auction discount” worked against the interest of the fishers, said the boat owners. The practice is that if the catch in a fishing boat that lands at some of the harbours is auctioned for ₹100, a discount of ₹13 is offered to the wholesale agent. The fish buying agents are now demanding that it be raised to ₹16. The rate of discount varies from harbour to harbour.