Eradicating middlemen, Samudram - a community-backed producer company of traditional fisherwomen of Odisha - has started direct supply of dry fish to North-Eastern States.
First batch of dry fish of Samudram would start from Ganjam district for Guwahati in Assam on Thursday. According to Samudram managing director, B. Chitamma, food products produced by Samudram like dry fish, fish pickle, prawn pickle, prawn papad and bhujia have already received ISO 22000-2005 certification. Apart from searching markets in different parts of India, Samudram is also exploring export possibilities. Products of Samudram are marketed with the catch line ‘Test the taste of tradition’. “Our recent effort to reach out to North-Eastern States directly would add to the income of several families of fishermen on Odisha coast,” said Ms Chitamma.
North-Eastern States are major consumers of dry fish. Earlier dry fish from Odisha was reaching these States through a series of middlemen due to which the producers in Odisha, including Samudram, were not getting proper price for their product. Recently Samudram has entered into a direct tie-up with a firm of Guwahati that would market dry fish from Odisha in all the N-E states, said B. Kumudi, a member of board of directors of Samudram.
This project has received financial and technical support from Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project (ICZMP).
