Post Covid, ornamental fisheries business on a high in Kerala

Kochi, March 17 : Due to the efforts of the Kerala Aqua Ventures International Limited (KAVIL), a government of Kerala undertaking, the lucrative ornamental fisheries sector is on a course of revival after suffering a heavy loss during the Covid period.

KAVIL’s efforts like buyer-seller meets, startup training and effective marketing strategies and the Department of Fisheries supported hundreds of families to sustain their livelihood and improve their income.

At the buyer-seller meet, which happens every Monday, it has yielded a business of Rs 7.2 million.

The buyer-seller meet, in particular, played a major role in streamlining the market avenues and connecting wholesale traders in the sector from across the country to the ornamental fish farmers in the state.

M.S. Saju, the managing director of the KAVIL and Joint Director of the Department of Fisheries said the event takes place every Monday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

“The buyer-seller meet has become a game-changer in the sector as the platform is becoming increasingly popular among the farmers and traders, witnessing increased dealings in recent months. We are taking measures to attract wholesale giants in the industry into KAVIL, aiming to do a business of Rs five crore annually by 2025 through this platform and make the state a hub of ornamental fisheries in the country,” said Saju.

Ornamentals from Kerala are known for good quality and varieties, such as Koi carp, Oscar, angelfish, cichlid, tetra and morphs in varied colours, are popular fishes produced by the farmers.

Dr Mini Sekharan, the Marketing Consultant of KAVIL and Associate Professor in School of Industrial Fisheries, Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) said the lack of large-scale production for consistent supply to domestic and international markets and proper marketing strategies hindered the growth of a highly prospective industry in Kerala in the past.

“India is a country with huge domestic market potential which can be explored well with enhanced production and marketing,” said Sekharan.