A man arranges dried fish at a shop at Asadganj in Chittagong. Photo:Anurup Kanti Das
The traditional dried fish market of Bangladesh is shrinking gradually due to a decline in marine fish production and neglect on the government's part.
With an increasing population, the demand for dried fish is rising on the domestic and international markets every year.
However, a fall in production is pushing up the prices of dried fish and traders are depending more on low quality imported dried fish to meet the local demand.
Traders said imported dried fish accounts for 70 percent of the local market, a clear sign of falling domestic output.
“Local dried fish had more than 80 percent share in the domestic market even a decade ago, but the scenario has reversed in the last few years,” said Faisal Hossain, a trader at Asadganj dried fish market in Chittagong.
The sector is mainly dependent on marine fish from deep seas, said Nani Gopal Das, a professor of marine fisheries at Chittagong University.
The production of marine fish fell due to various reasons; people are fishing indiscriminately violating rules, Das said.
With an increasing population, the demand for dried fish is rising on the domestic and international markets every year.
However, a fall in production is pushing up the prices of dried fish and traders are depending more on low quality imported dried fish to meet the local demand.
Traders said imported dried fish accounts for 70 percent of the local market, a clear sign of falling domestic output.
“Local dried fish had more than 80 percent share in the domestic market even a decade ago, but the scenario has reversed in the last few years,” said Faisal Hossain, a trader at Asadganj dried fish market in Chittagong.
The sector is mainly dependent on marine fish from deep seas, said Nani Gopal Das, a professor of marine fisheries at Chittagong University.
The production of marine fish fell due to various reasons; people are fishing indiscriminately violating rules, Das said.
“As the mother fishes are destroyed, fish production has decreased, which brings down the volume of dried fish.”
Jahed Hossain, proprietor of Hazi Bajal Ahmad and Sons, a dried fish trading house, said over-fishing in the main fishing zones, pirate attacks on fishermen and low income of the fishermen have led to a reduced fish production.
He also blamed government negligence in preserving the marine fishes. Vigilance by law enforcers to thwart indiscriminate fishing is inadequate, he added.
The Asadganj market is a trading hub with around 40 stockists and more than 260 wholesalers.
Fishes from all the fish processing areas, especially the coastal areas and islands such as Rangabali, Sonadia, Kutubdia, Talpatti, St Martin's, Teknaf, Banshkhali, Anwara, Moheshkhali and Cox's Bazar, come to this market.
A portion of the dried fish from this market is exported to the UK, the USA and the Middle East countries as the demand is high among the Bangladeshi expatriates.The Middle East is the largest market for dried fish from Bangladesh, covering 90 percent of the total exports, said Farid Ahmad, general secretary of Asadganj Dried Fish Traders' Association.
According to Department of Fisheries, a total of 1,050 tonnes of dried fish were exported from July 2012 to March 2013. He said production of dried fish takes place only for four months -- between early winter and early summer.
Only 30 percent of the total demand of the country is met by local production; the rest is imported from India, Pakistan and Myanmar, he said. Around 739 tonnes of dried fish were imported from these countries from July 2012 to March 2013, said officials of the government department.
Around 30 varieties of
dried fish are found in the market. The most popular ones are Chinese pomfret (rupchanda), Indian salmon (lakkha), ribbon fish (chhuri), Bombay duck (loitta) and shrimp.
The prices depend on quality and size -- rupchanda sells at Tk 4,000 a kilogram, chhuri at Tk 1,200, loitta at Tk 400, and shrimp at Tk 800-1,000.
The prices of different types of rangabali and sonadia dried fishes are higher.
“Last year, I bought rangabali rupchanda shutki at Tk 2,000 a kg, but now the price has almost doubled,” said Mostafizur Rahman, a customer from Chittagong.
If the government takes steps to preserve marine fish, increase production, stop pirate attacks on fishermen and support the traders, the sector will turn into a profitable export oriented industry, said Ahmad of the dried fish traders' association.
Otherwise, the sector would dry up soon, he added.
Lieutenant Commander Atiqur Rahman of Bangladesh Coast Guard (east zone) said they face a shortage of manpower and logistics to patrol the vast fishing areas and protect the fishermen from pirate attacks.
Pravati Dey, deputy director (quality control and inspection) of Department of Fisheries in Chittagong, said the government has taken some initiatives.
“We mainly create awareness among the fishermen and train them on dried fish production,” she said.
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