Khulna, known as a fish-surplus district, saw a decline in export earnings from fish by Tk 679 crore in the last fiscal year (2023-24).
Fish and fish products worth over Tk 2,144 crore were exported in the last fiscal year while in 2022-23 fiscal year, the export earning was Tk 2,823 crore , and in the 2017-18 fiscal year, the amount was Tk 2,489 crore.
In the 2023-24 fiscal year, approximately 16,000 metric tonnes of shrimp were exported, earning Tk 1,744 crore, and the export quantity of other fish was 25,000 tonnes, with an export income of over Tk 400 crore.
District Fisheries officer Jaydeb Pal gave the information to the UNB correspondent.
He mentioned that alongside the netting of Hilsa in Khulna, extensive farming of Bagda and Galda shrimp, as well as Tilapia, crabs, and other white fish, are carried out.
With a population of 26 lakh, the total fish production in the district is 125,000 tonnes. The daily per capita fish consumption requirement is 50 grams per person. The total fish demand is 57,000 tonnes in the district and so there is a surplus of more than 68 tonnes of fish in Khulna.