MARKETING CHANNEL AND VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS OF BOMBAY DUCK (Harpadon nehereus) AND SEA BASS (Lates calcarifer) IN CHATTOGRAM AREA OF BANGLADESH

Abstract

Fishes are a highly perishable food commodity that requires rapid and smooth supply to the consumers. For the commercially important fishes, it is necessary to make the fishes to be supplied, ensuring good quality, to the consumers at the right time and right place. To achieve these conditions, a well-structured marketing system is required for each fish species. The present study was conducted to investigate the marketing channel and value chain of two commercially important marine fish species in the Chattogram area, Bangladesh. The studied species were Bombay duck, Harpodon nehereus and Sea bass, Lates calcarifer. A total of three types of markets were investigated in the present study which were primary, secondary, and retail markets. For this investigation, a total number of 120 people, fishermen and intermediaries, were interviewed. In the case of Bombay duck, 4 intermediaries were found to be involved in the marketing chain whereas, for Sea bass, 5 intermediaries were found. It is believed that this intermediary group makes a huge profit which makes the prices of fishes to become very high in the final consumer market. The marketing margin for Bombay duck and Sea bass were 38% and 35%, respectively. Fishermen share in consumer purchase price were 86%, 73% and 62% in case of Bombay duck, and 87%, 75% and 65% in the case of Sea bass in primary, secondary and retail market, respectively. Poor transport facilities and a huge number of intermediaries in the marketing channels were the main problems of the marine fish marketing channel. Government intervention in the marketing channel of those marine species is necessary for sustainable and economic fish marketing systems.