Kottayam: Fresh fish would be available at your doorstep from now on. The Matsyafed fishetarian mobile mart started functioning in Kottayam district from Tuesday.
Matsyafed chairman P P Chitharanjan inaugurated the mart at Panampalam in the district on Tuesday afternoon. Arpookara panchayat president Justin Joseph would preside over the meet.
The fish procured from traditional fishermen daily would be sold via the mart. The objective is to offer chemical-free fish to the consumers.
Sea fish from harbours in Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam districts would be procured daily and sold through the mart. Fish caught from the backwaters by the fishermen's cooperative societies too would be procured. These fish would be taken to the base station of the Matsyafed at Kumarakom and then distributed to the booths. There are 12 booths at various spots in the district. Along with these, a mobile unit would also function.
The vehicle would reach Panampalam at 3.30pm, Gandhi Nagar at 4.30pm and Nagambadom at 6pm.
500-750kg of fish
Three personnel would be selling the fish from the tempo van, which has the facilities to clean even the big fish. The vehicle would also have a cold storage facility. Up to 500-750kg of fish can be stored in the vehicle.
Authorities said that if all the fish get sold off, the vehicle would return to Kumarakom to procure more.
Other value-added products of Matsyafed such as pickle, masala, and prawn chutney powder would also be available at the vehicle.