Dried fish trade in Cox’s Bazar has resumed after a long halt in production due to the Covid-19 induced lockdown and persistent rainfall during the monsoon season.
The resumption marks the re-employment of around 35,000 people who went jobless during that period.
The coastal district of Cox’s Bazar, the country’s hub for dried fish – locally known as Shutki – makes around Tk 400 crore every year with its domestic and export earnings, with more than one lakh people directly involved in the trade, sources said.
“The dried fish is also exported to different countries after meeting local demand. The prices are currently good, so we have resumed production. It is going on in full swing,’’ Atik Ullah, president of Naziratek Shutki Traders Multipurpose Cooperative Society (NSTMCS), told The Business Post.
Naziratek Mahal on Cox’s Bazar beach at the confluence of the Bay of Bengal has become the largest shutki processing zone in the country over the last decade.
It has been built on 200 acres of land, where around 2,000 traders have set up more than 100 wholesale shops.
During a recent visit, thousands of people in Naziratek, Fodnardeil, Kutubdia, Samity Para areas of the district were seen preparing for producing different kinds of dried fish.
The most sought-after dried fish in the country, which includes Chhuri, Laitta, Faisshya, Rupchanda, Matia, Poa, Chingri, Lakkhya, Kamila, Korati, Koral, Rupsha and Surma, are produced here.
The process of preparing dried fish starts in October in Naziratek and continues till February and March if the weather remains favourable, said Atik Ullah, president of NSTMCS.
“The producers had to suspend their production from July 1 this year for the second time amid the pandemic, and due to the persistent rainfall. However, for the past one week, we lifted the suspension, and production has been going on in full swing since then,” said Atik.
He said the number of producers was roughly 30,000 last year, but it increased to 35,000.
A good number of people had joined the sector to produce promising returns for the people involved through export earnings. Producers are already sorting out and packaging high-quality dried fish varieties for export, further said the president of NSTMCS.
Hamidul Islam, a fisherman of Mogchar, told The Business Post that over 500 fishing trawlers from the adjacent areas meander through the Bay of Bengal every day to obtain dried fish worthy fish.
“The fishers are netting a good number of fish worth Tk 10 lakh to Tk 30 lakh every day,” he said.
Abdul Khalek, a fish trader, told The Business Post that the prices for the fresh collection of dried fish are high in the market. “I sold ten maunds of Laitta and Chhuri to a trader of Chattogram’s Khatunganj,” he said.
Kamal Uddin, owner of a local Shutki Mahal, told The Business Post that they had produced dried fish worth Tk 5 lakh last week.
“The 30 shutki mahal of the area will start trading dried fish as soon as they produce a good amount, and the whole area will turn into an open market,” he said.
Mujibar Rahman, president of Cox’s Bazar Fishing Boat Owners’ Association, told The Business Post that it is the busiest time of the year for them, and the fishers, producers, wholesalers, and traders are getting a good return this year.
“More than 6,000 fishing trawlers meander through the sea to net fish for producing dried fish,” he added.
The wholesale price of each kilogramme of Rupchanda is between Tk 1,200 and Tk 2,500; Surma between Tk 800 and Tk 1,500; Koral between Tk 1,000 and Tk 1600; Poa between Tk 400 and Tk 1,200; Chingri between Tk 1,000 and Tk 1,500; Laitta between Tk 450 and Tk 900, and Chhuri between Tk 700 and Tk 1,400, according to the Naziratek Mahal sources.
