Cockle are widely perceived as a low income group food source. They are usually marketed through wholesalers. Each town has many local outlets to supply the centers of population in the immediate vicinity. They are sold for consumption alive in the shell. The price at the producer level is between Rp150–200 per kg. It becomes Rp400 per kg (shell on) or Rp1 500 (meat) for retail prices and restaurant trade. The limited amount, around 10 mt/day, can be absorbed by canneries and cold storages for a further stage of preservation such as frozen boiled meat, pickling in vinegar and canning in brine. Foreign market outlet is limited at present. Only 771 mt of cockle alive in shell salted, in brine and dried products were exported in 1983 and 75 mt in 1984 (Directorate General of Fisheries 1987b.). The potential foreign markets for cockle deserve to explore are France, Spain, Italy, Japan, and Malaysia. This should be investigated to establish what prospects there are for developing a market here.
Cockle shell is also a valuable by-product for poultry grid and for use in lime making industry. Buyers will come to collected when the quantity of the shell is large enough for a trip. The sale of the shell can add to 10 per cent to the value of the catch.
