Home ›› 25 Apr 2023 ›› Editorial
Ibrahim Arif (aged 27) started crab culture as a hobby at first in Shyamnagar, Satkira. He has benefited from the box meth-od of crab culture because he has sincerely followed the rules and regulations of the box method. Ibrahim says, “After I finished my studies, I was not able to get a job, but then I saw a relative of mine doing crab culture, and the thought crossed my mind that maybe I should try it out. When I started to benefit from crab culture, I decided to not look for a job anymore and take crab culture as my ideal career choice. I felt good that now I am working independently and contributing to the country’s economy.’’
Ibrahim added, “Nowadays, using technology is very easy. Working with technology is not a problem for the youth. I think that we could do something on our own rather than run behind on jobs. In our country, there are a plethora of opportuni-ties for doing this type of work, especially in the agriculture sector.’’ Ibrahim’s words are completely right. Many people are changing their fate by doing crab culture. Each year, Bangladesh exports 1200 tons of crabs to foreign countries.
In the fiscal year 2017-18, crabs worth Tk 173 crores and 80 lakhs were exported. In the fiscal year 2018-2019, it has in-creased to Tk 320 crore 40 lakh.
Crabs are mostly cultivated in coastal areas. Usually, a lot of crabs are found in the Sundarbans. In the beginning, many people used to catch crabs and sell them locally, and day by day, it became more prevalent. A lot of farmers stopped shrimp culture due to the viruses in shrimp, the decreased production of shrimp, and the reduced prices of shrimp. For these reasons, many farms abandoned shrimp culture and started crab culture. Crab culture becomes very popular as the farmers keep profiting from it. Due to a demand for crabs in foreign countries, crabs are always exported there. A good amount of foreign currency is earned by exporting crabs to foreign countries. Other than this, farmers are interested in crab culture for a few vital reasons, such as less work, fewer expenses, and less time.
Due to these reasons, people in Satkira are cultivating crabs instead of shrimp. In Satkira, there are crab processing facto-ries. Because of these factories, the farmers are easily able to sell crabs, and they are saying that they are getting a fair price for it. For this reason, the sector is rapidly growing. The farmers are saying, there is no hatchery system available here; if there were hatcheries in this sector, it would expand even more. If hatcheries were available, perhaps we could have profited even more. In coastal areas, due to the suitable environment for crabs, virus-free production, and lower cost, crab farming is increasing among people. Crabs from Satkira are being exported to European countries and even in Ameri-ca.
Not only in Satkhira but also in Cox’s Bazar, Khulna, Bagerhat, Hathia, Borguna, Teknaf, and St. Martin, crabs are cultivat-ed. Crabs are caught from coastal mangrove areas, sea coasts, the Naf River, and in many areas of St. Martin. Among these, most of the crabs are caught in St. Martin and Teknaf. Tourists love the taste of crab, and due to this, the hotels in St. Martin have a high demand for crabs. The rest of the crabs are sent to restaurants and hotels in Cox’s Bazar and Chitta-gong. In this area, many fishermen used to depend on fish, but now fish are not available, so they are catching crabs. They sell one kilogram of crab for 800-1000 takas.
Generally, two types of crabs are cultivated in our country. These are mud crabs and red-clawed crabs. Mud crabs are heavy. Approximately, their weight is about 2 kg. Red-clawed crabs are a bit less heavy compared to mud crabs. Red-clawed crabs’ weight is approximately 1.2 kg. However, in foreign countries, the demand for mud crabs is higher.
Crabs can also be produced in ponds, but farmers prefer the box method. At least five times a year, crabs can be cultivated in ponds. The box method is a system through which people can cultivate crabs. At first, they have to select a specific water surface where they can place plastic boxes that have crabs inside them. According to experts, the box method is more pop-ular because crab culture can be completed much more quickly. Hence, experts deemed the method more profitable as well. The box does not spoil the food of the crab, and the crab mortality rate is low. After a crab is placed inside a plastic box, they start to molt after 2–3 weeks. The crab’s weight increases by 80 per cent. Therefore, if the crab is cultivated by following the rules, it would not be wasted and could be sold at a good price.
In India, crabs are cultivated by using the box method. Recently, box trials have been underway in Andhra Pradesh and Tam-il Nadu to further upgrade this farming system. Currently, there are research projects underway to cultivate crabs using more advanced technology. Moreover, this will make it easier for the crabs to grow, become healthier, and have a lower mortality rate.
However, clean water is required to cultivate crabs. Clean water is a crucial need for the crab’s good health. The boxes are frequently checked by the farmers to see if the crabs are dead or not. Dead crabs are removed quickly from the boxes, and a very important rule is that the dead crabs should be buried underground. This is why farmers need to be sincere and at-tentive while cultivating crabs. Whenever a crab has fallen sick, it should be treated immediately. Because crabs are de-composable creatures.
Farmers are always aware of crab food. They should be provided with more food in the evenings rather than in the morn-ing. Usually, they eat tilapia fish babies. Sometimes they are fed small portions of tilapia fish. Some people even feed them small fish and snails. There are complaints that some farmers feed the crabs rotten fish and chicken waste, which is defi-nitely wrong.
The crabs are only marketable when they have the proper age and weight. The crabs should be taken out of the water at dawn or in the evening. If the sunlight falls directly on the crabs, it is a difficult scenario to save their lives. Before selling the crabs, the shells are removed. During crab rearing, their two big legs are kept and the little legs are chopped off. The crab soon begins to leave its shell, and the crab becomes soft. Crabs without a shell are more expensive.
The crab breeding season is from January to March. During these three months, it is strictly prohibited to catch, harvest, or even sell crabs. Farmers are not fully aware of this situation. Crabs often get stuck in nets in rivers. Many crabs are collect-ed from the forests during this time. Zoologists say that if crabs are caught during the breeding season, then the genealogy of the crabs will disappear. Secondly, it would disrupt the natural balance, and lastly, it would eventually destroy the crabs.
Crab-catching in this unfair way, especially during the breeding season, is definitely wrong. Apparently, the fishermen are not aware of this. Awareness should be raised among these farmers who are unknowingly doing this. Even though some may say it is the responsibility of the Coastal Forest Department. The Coastal Forest Department has stated that they do not have the manpower required to do this.
In the case of hilsa fish, due to the government making some new laws, hilsa fishing is prohibited during breeding season. Thus, the production of hilsa has increased. Whereas in the case of the crabs, if the concerned group of people follows the rules and makes the people around them aware of them as well, then surely this sector will grow in size over the span of the next 10 years. Everyone must understand this. Therefore, the fishermen, farmers, and traders should work alongside the government. Ibrahim says, “There are more effective steps that need to be taken, not only for crab farming but also for crab processing, establishing hatcheries, and high marketing. Even the farmers need advanced training to produce healthy and germ-free crabs.”
The writer is researcher and columnist. She can be contacted at [email protected]
