Shortage pushes seafood prices up

While the tiger prawns were sold at Rs 1,300 per kg, flower big was sold for Rs 1,000 (medium Rs 600), Kalra prawn for Rs 400 and white prawn at Rs 650 (big) and Rs 450 (medium).

“There was more demand for prawns and it got sold out by 9 am. Customers had only the fish option, and some returned empty-handed, which usually don’t happen in the market,” said Vishnu MP of MPV Sea Foodz.

The demand for seafood was more for the last one week. Though the prices were up, the sale volume was less on Monday. “Usually on Sunday and Monday, there use to be a good sale. But there were not many boats out in the sea and the volume available for selling was less. Everything getting sold within an hour is not usual on Mondays. Normally when there is no enough fish, customers go for prawns. But today there was a big demand for prawns and the prices shot up,” said Pugazhendhi P, a vendor at Kasimedu market.

“Today, seer fish (vanjiram) was sold for Rs 800-850, horse mackeral (parai) Rs 450, pomfret (vaval) white Rs 1,100, and black Rs 750, red snapper (sankara) Rs 450 (big), Rs 350 (medium), Rs 250 (small),” he added.