Dry fish processors in Cox’s Bazar passing busy time

The dry fish processors in Shutki Palli (dried fish village) of the coastal district Cox's Bazar are passing a busy time.

On a recent visit to Monkhali Shutki Palli, it was seen that hundreds of workers are passing busy days making dried fish.

Ukhiya upazila’s Monkhali, Shamlapur, Shilkhali, Jahazpura beaches, and Baharchara union of Teknaf are the most active areas of the ongoing process of drying fish in the district. Hundreds of workers of the shutki pallis of these areas are currently busy drying fish.

Fishing boats and trawlers are bringing fish to the beaches to be sold to dried fish makers. Due to an abundance of catch, the fish are being sold at a relatively low price.

During an on-spot visitation, this correspondent found shutki makers from 20-25 small villages on both sides of Teknaf Marine Drive road busy with processing the fish.

The larger shutki pallis are in Monkhali, Shamlapur, Shilkhali, Jahazpura, Shah Porir Dwip and Baharchara. There is also a modern processing centre on Saint Martin Island for drying fish.

There are both male and female workers and all ages busy processing the fish and spreading them out to be dried under the sun.

Md Toyeb of Mankhali village in Ukhiya upazila said winter months are the driest season in the country and the optimal time for making shutki. Fishes are also available for a low price during this season, he added.

Babu and Ansar of Shamlapur village of Teknaf upazila said that dried fish traders pay them in advance to buy and process the fish. Afterwards, the fish are packaged and loaded onto trucks to be transported all over the country.

According to the workers of various shutki pallis of the district, they only use salt before drying the fish in the sun, and no preservatives or harmful chemicals are added.

Those involved in the fish drying trade demanded government sponsorship and incentives in order to expand the industry. With proper training and support to expand organic food production, the industry can become a boon to the country’s economy.

Related sources said the dried fish production in the district can be expanded further providing training and modern equipment to the workers. If the processed fish meet international food standards, there is a possibility of expanding on its export potential.

Fisherman Belal said he sold a good amount of his catch to the different shutki makers of the area. “It is good that we can easily sell our catch to the shutki makers since we get a lot of fish during this time.”

Dried fish seller of the District, Babu, said the demand for the shutki made in this district is good all over the country since the food is made from freshly caught fish and thus tastes better. He exports dried fish to different districts including Dhaka and Chattogram.

“Churi, Loitta, Faissa, and Poa are some of the most in-demand dried fish. However, due to the inflation, the prices of fish have risen, leading to a price hike of shutki,” he said, adding that the profit margin is relatively low this season.

According to Cox’s Bazar Department of Fisheries sources, around 157 tonnes of dried fish worth Tk 11 crore is produced daily during this season in the coastal district. In FY-22, about Tk 330 crore worth of dried fish was produced in the district.

If the weather remains favourable, the dried fish makers expect to produce over Tk 400 crore worth of shutki this year.

District Fisheries Officer Md Badruzzaman said shutki makers of different villages all over the district are currently busy drying different types of fish. “We expect to reach the dried fish production target in the district,” he said.