Home ›› 04 Dec 2021 ›› Nation
Hundreds of fishermen and workers in the greater Chalan Beel region were busy in drying fishes they caught in plenty as the water slowly receded from the natural reservoirs of the region with the emergence of winter in Sirajganj.
Chalan Beel, a series of wetlands connected by channels of water in the lower Atrai basin, is spread across nine upazilas of four northern districts- Sirajganj, Pabna, Natore and Naogaon, which makes it the largest wetland of the country.
During the rainy season, a large variety of local freshwater fish come to the huge water body for spawning and breeding. As winter arrives, the water level of these wetlands recedes, and the netting of these fishes brings about a festive mood among the thousands of fishers in the districts, who are involved and economically dependent on fishing.
However, due to the lack of preservation facilities in Sirajganj and adjacent areas, the fishers of the district are bound to either sell most of their fish or sundry them in order to optimize their production and earn profits in both ways. These fishermen have turned their problem into a blessing, as sun-dried fish sometimes sells at higher prices than raw fish and is also easier to preserve.
During a recent visit to the area, hundreds of dried fish producing zones in Tarash, Raiganj, Ullapara, and Shahzadpur upazila in Sirajganj were seen buzzing with busy fishermen and workers who were processing fresh fish to make different types of dried fish. They said they need to spend around a month to get the final product.
Producers in these fish processing zones commercially dry native fishes, such as – Kai, Magur, Baim, Rui, Katla, Mrigel, Baush, Ayr, Baghair, Chital, Foli, Boal, Pabda, Tengra, Shaul, Gajar, Bele, Taki, Nadai, Shing, Khalisha, Punti, Shrimp, Chanda, Chang and export them to India, USA, Malaysia, Dubai and other countries after meeting the domestic demands, according to the local fisheries office.
The primary importer of dried fish produced in the country is India and they mostly take the Punti variety, traders of Mohishluti Fish Terrace said. A kilogramme of Punti was sold at Tk 80 to Tk 90 while Chanda at Tk 40 to Tk 60, Khalisha at Tk 70 to Tk 80, and Bele at Tk 100 to Tk 110, among others, they said, adding that, the price varies from place to place and the final good can be sold at a much higher price.
“We get 15 kilograms of dried fish from 40 kgs of fresh raw fish and earn around Tk 15,000 to Tk 20,000 on per maund for different varieties of fishes”, said Md Shakil, a wholesaler.
“We are mainly farmers. Nevertheless, in the monsoon, we get into fishing as we get plenty of fish from the water reservoirs, and it has great returns,” said fisherman Shibnath, along with other fishermen Jamal Sheikh, Abul Kala, and Nimai. They further said that over 200 workers, fishers were involved in the dried fish trade in the three upazilas of the district.
However, despite great demand for dried fish in the domestic and global market, the marginal fishermen, wholesalers and traders were failing to secure a profit for a syndicate made by influential businessmen, who deliberately try to illegally store and manipulate the prices of the fish for their benefit, said Julmat Sheikh, a fisherman of Tarash upazila.
Akkas Ali, a dried dish wholesaler of the district, told The Business Post that he invested Tk 10 lakh in this business this year but fearing a loss for the syndicate. He alleged, “The Indian businessmen used to buy from us directly in the past. But the syndicate made by the influential people in this region are grabbing the attention of Indian buyers, and thus we are facing losses,” he said.
Shahid Ali, a fisheries officer of Sirajganj Fisheries Office, told The Business Post that they were providing training and assistance to all the parties involved in the dried fish trade, such as makers, fishers, wholesalers. “We are also considering launching of an incentive package for the wholesalers so that they can operate their business more swiftly,” he said.
He further said that the district produced 165 tonnes of dried fish last year. “This year, we expect to produce more than 170 tonnes of dried fish,” the fisheries officer said.
