Photo: Collected
As is the appearance of the fish landing station, so is the
view of the Dakatiya riverside. Nets, fishermen, boats, trawlers—everything can
be found here. Fishermen are bringing hilsa by sea and road. Auctions in the
streets. Busy all day. This is how the busy buying and selling of hilsa goes
on.
This hilsa market is built on the banks of Dakatiya river in
Chandpur. Its name is 'Chandpur Fish Ghat'. Chandpur Fish Ghat is one of the
most famous fish trading centers in the country. This fish ghat has been
developed at the mouth of the Dakatia River at the confluence of the Trini
River with the focus of catching various species of fish including the
Padma-Meghna hilsa. Mainly during the British period, this fish ghat became
famous due to the sea-road-rail communication facility.
Fishermen and traders say that apart from Chandpur in
Machghat, hilsa comes by road and sea from Khaser Hat, Raipur in Laxmipur,
Matirhat, Kamalnagar, Alexander, Ramgati, Hatia in Noakhali, Chairmanghat,
Batir Khal, Daulatkha in Bhola, Tajumuddin, Charfashion and Dalchar in Manpura.
Last Saturday (September 24, 2022), it was seen on the
surface that some boats have arrived at Chandpur fish ghat with fish from the local
fish ghats of Haimchar area and Sadar upazila on the banks of the Meghna in
Chandpur. Hilsa weighing 1.5 kg is being sold at 13 to 14 hundred taka per kg,
hilsa weighing 8 to 9 hundred grams is 850 to 900, and hilsa weighing 5 to 6
hundred grams is being sold at 600 to 650 taka.
Abdul Bari Manik Jamadar, president of Chandpur Fishery
Traders Cooperative Association, told that Chandpur is the center of trade and
commerce. In the current hilsa season, one to 1500 maunds of hilsa are bought
and sold every day.
Dhaka businessman Abdul Karim went to Chandpur Machghat by
private car from Dhaka to buy hilsa. He said Hilsa of Padma-Meghna is
incomparable in taste. That is why he went to Chandpur to buy hilsa.
Italian immigrant Sobhan Mia went to buy fish from Comilla.
He said the reputation of Chandpur Hilsa is worldwide. When he came home on
vacation, expatriate friends said that he should take hilsa from Chandpur on
his return. That is the reason to come to Chandpur to buy hilsa.
During the stay at Chandpur Machghat on Saturday (September
24, 2022) from 11:00 am to 1:00 am, no fishing boat was seen coming from the
Padma-Meghna estuary. Had a talk with fisherman Badsha miya of Sadar Upazila in
the afternoon, he said that early that day he went fishing in the Padma with
another companion. Five hilsa weighing 500 to 600 grams were cut in a kosha
boat (a type of long fishing boat) with cotton nets in the river for one
afternoon. In this, their oil and other expenses did not increase by 1 thousand
500 taka.
Fishermen say that the natural nature of hilsa is to run against the current. As the river flows more towards the sea during the rainy season, more hilsa comes to the Padma-Meghna estuary. But this year there was not much rain in Ashad-Shravan month. Due to this, the amount of hilsa in Padma-Meghna is less in Machghat of Chandpur.
According to the District Fisheries Department, there are
about 45,000 fishermen registered in Chandpur. However, various organizations
working with fishermen claim that the actual number of fishermen in the
district will be more than 60,000.
Talked to five jailers of Haimchar in Chandpur. They also
said that Hilsa is less in Padma-Meghna. According to them, other years during
the hilsa peak season in Bhadra-Ashwin months, hundreds of fishing boats used
to catch hilsa in Padma-Meghna and come to Chandpur Fish Ghat for sale. But
this time the opposite picture is seen.
Shah Alam, President of Chandpur Country Boat Owners
Association, said that there was not much hilsa in the river in the last two
months. The fishermen kept the boat on the dock. They had a miserable life.
However, in the second week of September due to low pressure in the Bay of
Bengal, fish are getting a little bit now.
Mohammad Ashraful Alam, Senior Scientific Officer of Hilsa
Research Center, said that the government is working to increase the production
of Hilsa under the Hilsa protection program. Now hilsa of one to one and a half
kg size is also available in rivers. But the movement of hilsa is being
hindered due to inundation in Meghna. In addition, there are many current nets
on the way of Hilsa from the sea to the river. Due to these reasons, Hilsa
comes less in Padma-Meghna. However, he mentioned that the average production
of hilsa has increased.
According to the latest published annual report of the
Department of Fisheries, 33 thousand 992 metric tons of hilsa were produced in
Chandpur in 2020-21. The data for 2017-18 also showed that 33 thousand 981
metric tons of hilsa were produced in Chandpur that year.
Talking to the fishermen, fishers, fishermen, and traders, it is
known that 2 to 4 fishing boats from Bhola in the southern region come to
Chandpur fish ghat with hilsa. Apart from this, hilsa comes to Chandpur fish
ghat from different fish ghats of Lakshmipur, Noakhali by sea and road.
Sohag Bepari, a wholesale fish trader of Kamalnagar in
Lakshmipur, said that he had taken 10 maunds of hilsa by road in a pickup and
came to Chandpur Fish Ghat for sale. He bought this hilsa from Batrikhal Fish
Ghat.
At Chandpur Fish Ghat Uttar Kumar Matsya talked with
Mosharof Hossain, a fish merchant from Noakhali. He said, he hired a truck with
about 20 maunds of hilsa fish and came to Chandpur Fish Ghat for sale. Compared
to Dhaka, and Chittagong, fish prices are higher here. For this, he came to Chandpur
to sell fish.
After visiting the market, it was found that 52 to 56
thousand taka per maund of hilsa of 1.5 kg size, 34 to 36 thousand per maund of
8 to 9 hundred grams of hilsa, 24 to 26 thousand taka per maund of 5 to 6
hundred grams of hilsa are being sold.
|Source: Online/SZK
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