Alternative Livelihood of Hilsa Fisherman with its Marketing System: A Case Study from Chandpur District

Abstract

An investigation was carried out to evaluate the income potential and livelihood status of alternative income generating activities of hilsa fisher as well as marketing system of hilsa in Chandpur district (Bangladesh) via interview, focus group discussion and crosscheck interviews with key informants emphasizing on socioeconomic status, overviews of hilsa marketing exercise, marketing channel, marketing constraints and the role of marketing participants for a period of 12 months from January to December 2018. An initial snapshot of survey revealed that the fishers were all male (100%), half were in the middle age group (53%). The overwhelming majority were married (84%) and Muslim (86%) in religion. Most of them were from the nuclear family (67%) and have primary education (67%). A minority of them were illiterate (17%). All of them had access to water via tube-well water (100%). However, a significant minority were using catch latrine (16%) and deprived of electric facilities (29%). Only 3% of the fisherman enjoyed pakka housing facility. A third of the fishers (31 %) were uninformed on modem health facilities and were dependent on the village doctor or kobiraj. Income per annum for a majority of the fishers ranged between BDT 80-150 thousand. We've found that the local fishers had multiple income sources and weren't entirely dependent on their primary occupation for the maintenance of their livelihood. "Fishery ghat" also known as "mach ghat" was the main landing centre of hilsa in Chandpur district from where hilsa was distributed and marketed with grading throughout the country. Though preservation knowledge of some of market participants was alarming, hilsa found to be stored by some aratdar. Majority of intermediaries were self-financed, and a variety of packaging materials were used by market actors. The fishers were marginalized to a large extent both in the credit and product made by the advancing system of money lender, aratdar acted as a commission-based sales agent to sale the catch of fishers at the landing center. Wholesaler invested a huge amount of capital to purchase hilsa for a short period of time, LC paikars exported their entire purchase to overseas market and retailers were the last intermediaries who sold hilsa directly to consumer. Major constrains of hilsa marketing includes infrastructural, long marketing chain, credit facility, effective policy etc. Outcomes of this study will be effective for livelihood development of hilsa fishermen and improvement of hilsa marketing system in Chandpur and other districts of Bangladesh.