Concern for product quality and safety among small-scale dried fish producers in coastal regions: implications for improved efficiency and product loss and waste reduction

Baban Bayan (), Neetha Shenoy (), Aditya Parmar (), Baishnaba Ch. Ratha (), Arun Padiyar Panemangalore () and Cristiano M. Rossignoli ()
Additional contact information
Baban Bayan: WorldFish-Odisha Program Office
Neetha Shenoy: WorldFish-Odisha Program Office
Aditya Parmar: Worldfish, Batu Maung
Baishnaba Ch. Ratha: WorldFish-Odisha Program Office
Arun Padiyar Panemangalore: WorldFish-Odisha Program Office
Cristiano M. Rossignoli: Worldfish, Batu Maung

SN Business & Economics, 2025, vol. 5, issue 11, 1-23

Abstract: Abstract Dried fish is an essential sector with high micronutrient content and livelihood support to the coastal communities, but with limited evidence of productivity analysis in the sector globally. The present study analyses input use efficiency using three non-parametric measures- radial, non-radial, and two-stage double bootstrap data envelopment analysis (DEA). It also examines the effect of producers’ concern for product quality and safety (CPQS) index on efficiency. The study uses cross-sectional data of 266 small-scale dried fish producers in the coastal belts of Odisha. The analysis highlights that dried fish producers produce 43–55% below the production frontier, indicating higher input spending relative to the realized value of finished products. The CPQS index is positively and significantly associated with efficiency score, implying that Producers’ concerns for quality and safety are essential for input-use efficiency. Education and prior training exposure correlate significantly with technical efficiency, suggesting that educated and trained producers use inputs more judiciously and avoid loss and waste. Storage ability and direct selling of produce to consumers, as additional indicators of quality products, also correlate with technical efficiency, pointing out that inefficient producers often ignore quality and hygiene. The results underscore the need for interventions. Training and awareness programs about resource use and maintaining quality and hygiene can help producers increase net income, reduce production costs, and ensure a sustainable source of micronutrient-rich food.

Keywords: Dry fish; Coastal region; Concern for product quality; Input use efficiency; Bootstrap DEA; Odisha (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q12 Q22 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s43546-025-00940-6

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