CHOICE OF FISH FOR CONSUMPTION – AN ANALYTICAL HIERARCHY PROCESS APPROACH

The study focusses on the factors affecting consumer's decision in selecting the most preferred fish for consumption in Kolkata, West Bengal. The survey included 250 households, 125 each from the traditional fish markets and modern retail outlets. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to determine the criteria that influenced the type of fish chosen and the most desired type of fish by the people of Kolkata. It was used to evaluate the importance amongst criteria based on the concept of pairwise comparison. The criteria used for identifying the most desired fish by the people in the model were identified, and the significance of each criterion has been arrived at by conducting survey using pre-tested interview schedule in the traditional fish markets and modern retail outlets of Kolkata. The results revealed that choice of fish depended upon price (9.38%), quality (58.51%) and taste (32.12%) in the traditional fish market, whereas in the modern retail market, the choice of fish depended upon price (9.29%), quality (61.22%) and taste (29.50%). Considering these criteria, the most desired type of fish based on price was hilsa (44.64%) in traditional fish market while in the modern retail market, it was rohu (53.25%). Considering the quality, the most preferred fish was hilsa (45.14% and 59.55%) in traditional fish markets and modern retail markets respectively.

With respect to taste, the most preferred fish was hilsa (52.12% and 59.01%) in both the markets. This study describes about the choice of preferred fish for consumption on the basis of several identified criteria.