File Photo
In the first six months of the current fiscal year 2023-24, about 25 lakh 45 thousand 514 dollars worth of dried fish has been exported.
Asadganj of
Chittagong has been busy since morning. Dried fish are brought by trucks from
different parts of the country to the shops and stores here. And with that
truckload of dried fish, Asadganj started busy from the morning. A portion of dried
fish arriving in trucks is screened and reserved for export. This busyness can
be seen by going to Asadganj, the big dry fish market in Chittagong city.
According to
the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) data, during the first six months
(July-December) of the current financial year 2023-24, dried fish worth about
25 lakh 45 thousand 514 US dollars were exported from the country. In
Bangladeshi taka which amounts to about 28 crore taka (as per dollar exchange
rate of taka 110). Out of this, only in December, about 14 lakh 27
thousand dollars equivalent worth of dry goods were exported. Most of the dried
fish exported from Bangladesh went to Hong Kong, Singapore, India, South Korea, the USA, and Thailand.
Asadganj
dried fish dealers and traders say that 70 to 80 percent of dried fish exported
from the country are supplied from Asadganj. In addition to whole fish, fish
flakes are also exported. These include the tail, fins, and intestines. These
dried fish are being exported to various countries in America, the Middle East, and
East and Southeast Asia.
According to the Department of Fisheries, at least 15 percent of the fish produced in the country is dried and converted into dried fish. According to the latest statistics of the Department of Fisheries, about 47 lakh 57 thousand tonnes of fish have been harvested from the sea coast and inland reservoirs in the country in the fiscal year 2021-22. Out of that, more than 7 lakh tons of fish were used in the preparation of dried fish that year.
In the
country, dried fish is produced in various coastal areas including Nazirartek
of Cox's Bazar, Char of Sonadia, Maheshkhali, Karnaphuli riverside area of
Chittagong city, Anwara Upazila, Dublar Char of Sundarbans, Ibrahimpur of
Sunamganj.
From 2012-13
to 2022-23 fiscal year - Bangladesh has exported dried fish worth about 7 crore
17 lakh 19 thousand 263 dollars in these 11 years. According to that, an
average of 65 lakh 20 thousand dollars of dried fish has been exported
annually. Out of this, the highest export was in the 2017-18 financial year. Dried
fish worth about 86 lakh 651 dollars was exported that year. And the lowest
among the mentioned years was in the fiscal year 2015-16, about 4.25 million
dollars.
Osman
Haider, General Secretary of Asadganj Dried Fish Traders Association, said that
although they are not directly involved in the export work, the traders here
supply dried fish to the exporters. Due to the good quality, the demand for
dried fish in Bangladesh is increasing in different countries of the world.
Among the
sea fish in the country, there are dried fish such as Rupchanda, Faisya, Khita,
Surma, Laitta, Shrimp, Hilsa, Chapila etc. Depending on the species, two and a
half to four kg of fish are required to make one kg of dried fish.
The price of
raw fish in the country has increased in recent years. Due to this, the
price of dried fish has also increased. Exporters and traders feel that the
price increase is affecting the export of dried fish.
According to
the traders of Asadganj, many fishermen are doing other work apart from
fishing. Besides, because of the improved communication system, fishermen think
that selling glass fish is more profitable than dry fishing. As a result, fish
is imported from India and Myanmar for drying. That increases the price.
RDS Trade
International of Chittagong has been associated with dried fish export since
1999. Mohammad Aziz Ullah, general manager of the organization, said that the
price of dried fish in the surrounding countries is low. As a result, the
export of dried fish from Bangladesh has decreased. As the price of raw fish is
high in the country, the price of dried fish is also high. However, due to the
quality, domestic dried fish is in demand abroad.
Source: Online/GFMM
Comment Now