Evaluation of Market Potentiality of Bellamya bengalensis at Selected Market Areas in Purulia District, West Bengal, India

Among freshwater gastropods in West Bengal, Bellamya bengalensis has great nutritional values. That is why B. bengalensis has an admirable demand to the people of all the economic classes, more particularly to poor and tribal communities mainly in Purulia and its nearby districts. By surveying the snail markets, it is evident that a large number of people are able to meet their daily livelihood as well as maintain their family in these areas by marketing this snail species. Therefore, an assessment was made on marketing process and daily marketing transactions of B. bengalensis at selected market areas (Purulia Town Market, Punchar Market, Lalpur Market and Man Marker) of Purulia district. Through the protocol "Private Distribution System" and segregating a year into quarterly intervals (pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon season), the whole marketing process was characterized. People (seller) gathered B. bengalensis either by purchasing from collectors or by collecting from near by ponds, swamps, dam areas, etc. For selling of flesh product (without shell) and whole product (flesh with shell), a significant variations in selling price were noticed throughout the experimental seasons. Here, availability of B. bengalensis was considered as the main reason regarding price variation. So, sustainable aquaculture of this gastropod species is required to overcome this fluctuation (availability and price) and to make a steady marketing process.