It is not demonetisation and the consequent cash crunch that Chandrakala and other fish sellers at the Jeppu fish market are worried about. For them, the main concern is the increase in door-to-door sale of fish. Lately, we have been unable to sell even 50 per cent of the ?2,000 worth of fish we bring here from the fishing harbour, Ms. Chandrakala said. Like other sellers, she wants the Mangaluru City Corporation to ban door-to-door sale of fish. We are greatly affected by line sales. Demonetisation has only added to our problems, said Ms. Chandrakala, who is among the sellers who have stopped paying the monthly rent of ?300 to the civic body. Her elder daughter studies in class 8, while her younger daughter is in class 5. These are hard days I am facing … I hope they will pass soon, she said. Meenakshi, another seller, said it’s with great difficulty that she runs a family of four with the income from selling fish. She supplements this income by rolling beedis on the side. Low yield Part of the reason for the poor fish sales is the fall in yield. It is usual during this period when the weather is chilly, said Mahesh Kumar, the Deputy Director of Fisheries. The arrival of fish at the harbour was 18,000 tonnes and 17,819 tonnes in October and November, respectively. Of this, 40 per cent is consumed by people, Mr. Kumar said. Absence of change for ?2,000 has been the other reason for poor sales. The lack of change has forced us to turning away customers offering ?2,000 notes, said Ms. Meenakshi, a seller from Hampankatta. Sulochana Kotian, another seller, said they sometimes oblige customers by getting them change from those sellers who have done brisk business during the day. But the problems owing to demonetisation has subsided over the weeks, she added.
2016, The Hindu