With the sale of fish registering a drastic fall in the aftermath of the tsunami attack, various fishermen traders' association and workers' representatives in Kerala urged the state government on Tuesday to inform public that there was no danger in eating fish.
"The daily sales, on an average, have come down from Rs 50 lakh to Rs five lakh and all those associated with the industry are facing a severe crisis following the false propaganda against consumption of fish," fishermen unions convenor M P Abdul Latheef told reporters in Kozhikode.
He alleged that chicken farm owners in neighbouring states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh were mainly spreading the misinformation in Kerala to increase their sales.
While the prices of fish had come down drastically, the cost of chicken had gone up by about Rs 15 per kilo throughout the state during the last week, Latheef said. If the present trend continued, the unions would go on a statewide protest, he added.
"The government should immediately set up an agency to ascertain the quality of fish products offered on sale in the coastal areas in the state," he said.
Exports of fine varieties like prawns had also been affected following the tsunami, he added.
