Middlemen grab hilsa trade

The Rashmoni Ghat, located at Halishahar at the end of the Chattogram city, was just a simple fish landing centre for dozens of boats and not more than 200 fishermen even five years ago.

However, the landing centre has turned into a busy hilsa market crowded by thousands of fishermen, boat owners, money lenders, middlemen, and traders.

With only a handful of government-managed fish landing centres in the country, at least 100 unregulated landing centres have opened up to grab a piece of the country’s hilsa trade, which is estimated to be worth around Tk 30,000 crore.

At the same time, hundreds of ice factories and cold storages have also sprouted centring these landing centres, which operate as an unregulated market without the presence of any government agency.

Traditionally, these markets are run by moneylenders, influential locals and boat owners, who fix market price of fish daily.

Hilsa, which has doubled in production over the last 10 years, has been available in the estuary of the Bay of Bengal since the second week of July this year and will spread throughout various rivers in the country till October.

Data from the Department of Fisheries show that a total of 5.5 lakh metric tonnes of hilsa was harvested in the country in 2020, compared to only 3 lakh tonnes in 2010. The target for this year has been set at 6 lakh metric tonnes.

According to World Fish, Bangladesh accounts for 85 per cent of the world’s total hilsa production. Prices drop when landings are the highest in September-October, and rise when the landings decline the highest prices are obtained when the catches are reduced.

However, many buyers at Rashmoni Ghat said that the price of the savoury fish remains in the hands of these middlemen and storage owners, who regularly hike the prices as per their will.

At Rashmoni Ghat, wholesale hilsa fish per kilogramme was being sold between Tk 500 and Tk 850 depending on the size. These fishes will be sold in fish markets in Chattogram for Tk 800 to Tk 1200.

Talking to The Business Post, Belal Uddin, who bought four hilsa fishes for Tk 5,500 at Rashmoni Ghat, said, “There is no reason for hilsa to be this expensive as it comes from natural resources and has no added costs of rearing.”

“I came here to buy fish from fishermen on the beach, but I had no option but to buy fish from traders at very high prices,” he added.

Meanwhile, Matin Mia, a wholesale buyer at the landing centre, said, “I come here every day to buy fresh hilsa on behalf of traders at Chattogram’s Kazir Dewari Kitchen Market. They have fixed the price for me at Tk 1000 per kilogramme for fishes weighing more than one kilogramme.”

Fishermen have no role in trading Hasan, a 30-year-old fisherman, said he along with three others work at a fishing boat for a daily wage of Tk 800.

“We can catch a minimum of 30 kg and a maximum of 80 kg of fish in a day. However, we do not know how to sell them and for how much.”

“Sometimes when we are able to catch a large cache, the boat owner gives us some fishes along with our wages,” added Hasan.

Fisheries Department sources said the hilsa fishing is only 12 per cent of the total fish production of the country.

Dr Anisur Rahaman, chief of Hilsa Research Team of Fish Research Institute in Chandpur, told The Business Post, “Although some 5,00,000 people, basically fishermen and boat owners are directly involved with hilsa fishing, the sector provides a livelihood for almost 30,00,000 people.”

Although no major work has been done on the economic and social impact of hilsa fishing, it is easy to assume that fishermen were getting very little benefit from these natural resources, he added.

“The current market value of the amount of hilsa in the country is around Tk 30,000 crore, two-third of which goes into the pockets of traders, middlemen, and others. Those who are controlling the market are looting the benefits. That is why the fate of the fishermen has not changed although they are involved in this sector with huge economic potential,” added Dr Anisur.

Masuda Momi, director (Hilsa) at the Department of Fisheries, informed The Business Post that all landing centres, including the government-owned, are usually managed by the traders, moneylenders and warehouse keepers.

“But, there is no participation of fishermen over the landing points. There is a huge gap in the fish marketing mechanism in the country. If it is possible to reduce the influence of vested quarters, the price of hilsa will definitely come down and become affordable for marginalised people.”