In order to address hygiene and post-harvest loss in terms of extending the freshness of seafood and fresh water fish with ice storage, city-based College of Fisheries, Mangaluru, has designed a fish vending and display unit. Ironically, states like Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu have come forward to provide their fish vendors with the machines developed in Mangaluru. The Karnataka government, though, is yet to take a decision on providing the machines to vendors here. C V Raju, professor and head of department, Fish Processing Technology, explains why the unit was designed. He said: “Most of the fisher folk across India sell fish in an open basket without any hygienic practices. They use ice purchased at high cost for temporary preservation and at the end of the day, if the fish is not sold, they give it at a low rate to customers with little or no profit. When fish is kept in an open bag or container, it loses its freshness. “Freezing fish adds to cost and transportation expenses. Since this technology has well insulated storage space for fish, it reduces the ice melting rate and its cost, thereby reducing the selling price. The unit also extends the keeping quality of fish for 4 to 5 days and increases marginal benefit to fish vendors. The technology also helps change the practice of unhygienic handling and marketing of fish,” he explained. Currently, unit cost is priced around Rs 25,000 and can be reduced if produced in bulk. This vending machine has the capacity to stock 100kg of various fish in three stainless steel containers. There is space for cleaning fish and also stocking waste. He also said that they are making further changes to the unit so it can be operated through solar power for cooling. Currently, the unit is widely used in Jharkhand, and the Tamil Nadu government too has approached the college to adopt the technology. Raju said that a proposal was made to then fisheries minister K Abhaychandra Jain to subsidize the cost and provide vending machines to fishermen at Rs 5,000 each. “We are still waiting for the government’s decision,” he said.
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