Puratasi over, seafood price shoots up by 30 per cent in Kasimedu market

“Usually, the price will increase on weekends. But since Puratasi ended on Monday and Pradhosham fell on the same day, people thronged the market after a month which sent the price up by 30 per cent. The rise in price was also due to a shortage in supply because only 25 percent of boats went for fishing and supply from other states also fell. However, the rate was not up to our expectations this year, because both the fishermen and vendors are severely affected without enough supply and sale,” said Nanjil P Ravi, spokesperson, Akila Indhiya Meenavar Makkal Sangam.

Seer fish (Vanjiram) is being sold for Rs 550 – Rs 600/kg, black pomfret Rs 400/kg, crab Rs 230/kg, squid Rs 200/kg, black kingfish Rs 500/kg, red snapper (Sankara) Rs 240/kg, prawn Rs 255/kg, and barracuda (Sheela) Rs 220/kg.

Further affecting the supply, the seafood brought from other states has also gone down due to heavy rain and cyclone warning.

“We receive seafood from Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Goa. But that has also reduced in the last few days due to intense rainfall and the cyclone warning. Even in Tamil Nadu, they have been warned against venturing into the sea due to strong winds in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea,” said Kasinathan K, a wholesale trader at Kasimedu market.