Fish eaters, who have been worried about large volume of stale fish hitting the markets for sale, can rejoice as more fresh fish stalls of Matsyafed are coming up in the state to ensure that people get hygienic and unadulterated fish for consumption.
A senior officer of Matsyafed said the Fisheries department had approved the proposal submitted by Matsyafed seeking sanction to set up additional number of fish retail outlets in the state. Currently, Matsyafed has 72 outlets across the state selling fresh and hygiene fish to people at competitive rates. “We got administrative approval for the setting up more number of outlets. An order has been issued by the government in this regard,” said the officer.
As per the details available, a Departmental Working Group held on October 15 examined the proposal in detail and approved it. “Considering the decision of the Departmental Working Group, Government is pleased to accord Administrative Sanction for the Project ‘Hygienic fresh fish retailing by Matsyafed 2022-23’ for a total outlay of Rs one crore. The expenditure for this purpose will be met from the budget allocation for the financial year 2022-23,” the order said.
Matsyafed has been successfully running the fish stalls for the last many years procuring fish directly from traditional fishermen on a daily basis. The business was launched with an objective to offer chemical-free fish to the consumers. Apart from sea fish, Matsyafed also source fish caught from backwaters by fishermen’s cooperative societies.
Matsyafed’s decision to open more outlets have come at a time when the state is witnessing large scale seizure of stale and unadulterated fish from various place in the state. Government records show that in 2022 alone, 27,909 kg of stale fish was seized from various parts of the state. A latest seizure of 200 kg was made three days back from Palluruthy market in Kochi.
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