To save their livelihood, fishermen associations in Tamil Nadu will sell directly

Four fishermen associations in Tamil Nadu have come together to form the Traditional Fish Vendors Cooperative Society, seeking to ensure the safety and sustenance of the local fishermen community.

The four associations include South Indian Fishermen Welfare Association, Tamil Nadu Meenavar Munnetra Sangam, Parambariya Meenavar Sangam, and Agila India Parambaria Meenavargal Sangam. Under the new cooperative society, retail shops will be opened across the state, beginning with a pilot in Nochikkuppam.

Recently, there had been a public scare over accounts of formalin-laced fish which were sold in Chennai and surrounding areas. Formalin, which acts as a preservative, is used illegally by traders. Though this was disputed by state Fisheries minister D Jayakumar, it was still a worry for fishermen concerned that such incidents could damage their livelihood.

In response to such incidents, the cooperative society is set to ensure the freshness and overall quality of fish, as well as sell them at reasonable prices.

K Bharathi, President, South Indian Fisheries Welfare Association, told The New Indian Express, “Earlier, the fishermen’s work ended with selling to the middlemen, who didn’t care about the fishermen’s livelihood. Through our retail shops, we will ensure the consumers get fresh, standard, and quality fish. They need not worry about alleged formalin-laced fish anymore.”

With individual fishermen unable to sustain retail due to losses, the new shops are set to be launched once the cooperative society is registered under the Society Act. In this model, cooked fish items will also be sold to encourage and provide employment to women in the fishermen community. The team is planning to import different kinds of fish from other parts of Tamil Nadu and other states.