Dried fish trade gaining popularity in Rajshahi

With an ever-growing demand for freshwater shutki (dried fish), fishermen and traders of Rajshahi region, especially those in Chalan Beel of Natore district, are busy producing good quality dried fish this season.

The dried fish trade in the region is gaining momentum as the highly sought-after delicacy is popular in the national and international markets, offering a good price.

Locals said dried fish from Chalan Beel were exported to 10-12 countries, including the US, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, and the UAE.

According to the Rajshahi Fisheries Office, about 5.04 lakh metric tonnes of freshwater fish were produced in the division in the 2020-21 fiscal year.

Of that, there are 1,210 metric tonnes of dried fish, said Tofaz Uddin Ahmed, deputy director of the office.

The fishermen of the region were not happy with their catch as it was less than that in the past years. However, as the prices of both raw and dried fish are high this year, they are expecting good profits, said traders.

Alok Kumar Saha, fisheries officer of Rajshahi, said the overall fish production of the district is 83,492 metric tonnes in the current fiscal year, of which 10.5 metric tonnes have been used to make dried fish.

Fisheries Officer of Pabna Abul Kalam Azad said 42.96 metric tonnes of dried fish were produced from 68,592 metric tonnes of freshwater fish last year.

“As water in the water bodies of the area has started to recede, fishermen are busy catching and drying up the fish to market them,” he said.

Dr Amimul Ehsan, fisheries officer of Naogaon, said fishermen of Atrai and Manda upazilas produce the highest amount of dried fish in the district. “Naogaon fishermen produced 657.89 metric tonnes of dried fish last year, and we expect that this year’s production will exceed the target,” he said.

“The amount of dried fish will be less this year. However, as the prices and demand are high, the fishermen would not face any losses,” said Sahid Ali, fisheries officer of Sirajganj.

During a recent visit, The Business Post found that the local markets in Natore were buzzing with traders, sellers, and producers who were hoping to get a good deal.

Ashraful, general secretary of Singra fish market, told The Business Post they have 52 fish wholesale centres in the upazila, inviting hundreds of buyers and sellers from the adjacent areas.

Jahidul Islam, a dried fish trader of the area, said, “I buy six to seven truckloads of dried fish every year from Chalan Beel and sell them to the markets of Syedpur. I make a profit of Tk 6 to 7 lakh from this trade.”

“I have made four sheds to dry fish. We are getting Tk 50 to 70 more per kilogramme than last year’s price, and if the situation prevails, we will make a good profit this year,” he said.

Abdul Jabbar, president of the Dried Fish Trading Association of Naogaon’s Atrai upazila, said they have 27 registered businessmen who each trade 10 to 20 metric tonnes of dried fish each year in the local markets of Syedpur, Tista, Rangpur, and Tangail.

The prime time for drying fish is between October and February. However, the fishermen are suffering due to a lack of dry fish storage facilities in the region, said the fishermen of Beel area, adding they would benefit if Chalan Beel-based dry fish sales and storage facilities were constructed.