Owners of over 3,000 country boats fitted with outboard engines are heading to a big crisis with the steep hike in kerosene prices and the shortage of its supply at subsidised rates. To meet the daily consumption needs, many are in a situation to depend upon the black market that charges ₹120 a litre for kerosene.
Operators in the field say the quantity now being supplied at subsidised rates for 9.0 and 20 HP boats is hardly sufficient to meet the requirement. The monthly allotment comes between 130 litres and 180 litres depending on the engine capacity, which will be hardly sufficient to meet even two weeks’ requirements, they lament.
The demand to increase the monthly quota with better subsidy benefits is yet to be considered by the government. According to operators, kerosene-fuelled boats will be able to operate profitably only with the availability of fuel below ₹30 a litre.
Unable to purchase fuel from the outside market at higher rates, many small-scale fishers are now cutting short their fishing days. No new permits are given. The decline in catch has also hit the confidence of many small-scale operators to borrow money for fuel expenses.
“Most of the country boats fitted with outboard engines do not spend much time in the sea because of fuel scarcity. As the catch is also very low, they are in a tough situation,” says N. Viswan, a fisherman from Koyilandy harbour. He points out that the fuel price hike has equally hit larger fishing boat operators as well.
Functionaries of the Kerala Fishing Boat Owners Association say a State-wide strike is on the cards demanding increased fuel subsidy for diesel-powered boats. They also demand the reinstatement of the diesel quota.
“Now the price of diesel is ₹102 a litre which has made thousands of boat owners worried in the State. Even a subsidy of ₹10 a litre will be of great help to them,” says C. Musthafa, secretary of Fishing Boat Owners Association at Beypore.
Apart from the fuel cost, expenses for the renovation of boats are also giving a huge financial burden for many operators. Many boat owners in Kozhikode district have already sold their boats to buyers from neighbouring States.
