Due to the ongoing unrest in the country, including internet blackout and curfew after a period of shutdown by the quota protesters, the shrimp industry has incurred a loss of Tk100 crore.
Additionally, around 200 metric tons of frozen shrimp, valued at approximately Tk300 crore, are awaiting export.
Kazi Belayet Hossain, president of the Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association (BFFEA), said that the industry has come to a standstill as everything is internet-based. Communication with foreign buyers is impossible, and even though buyers are sending payments, the funds are not entering the banks.
Despite banks opening for limited hours, the lack of a fully operational internet prevents the resolution of the sector's stalemate, he said.
Belayet mentioned that processing plant warehouses are filling up with shrimps ready to export.
Although local markets are slightly more flexible in terms of buying and selling, sellers are not being paid, affecting businesses at all levels from companies to farmers.
Kazi Belayet further emphasized that the lack of communication and funds has halted shipments. Without the internet, no funds have been received from foreign buyers in the past week, and no documents can be exchanged.
“We are not even sure if the money sent by foreign buyers entered the banks,” he said.
Saifuddin Tonu, an official at Khulna’s Modern Sea Food, said that four containers of shrimp, amounting to about 80 metric tons, are awaiting shipment.
Due to internet issues, all types of bills are stalled, and shipping line clearances are not being received.
He added that agents visit daily, but seeing the situation, they leave without receiving payments.
The nationwide unrest has also severely impacted farmers, especially those unable to feed their shrimp on time. Some farms could not supply feed due to the curfew.
Md Bazlur Rahman of M/S Milon Enterprise said that 50 tons of shrimp feed from India’s Avanti Company were stuck at Petrapole for a week because of the internet shutdown.
Although the feed crossed the Benapole border on Wednesday, it will still take one to two days to reach Khulna.
“On July 17, another 50 metric tons of shrimp feed arrived in Khulna. Without this feed, local farmers would have faced a severe crisis. Quick action by the Fisheries Department and related offices ensured the feed reached farmers before the curfew,” he added.
Khulna District Fisheries Officer Joydeb Pal said that the recent stalemate did not significantly impact shrimp producers in Khulna, aside from some banking transaction issues.
He hoped that the internet resumption would resolve this crisis.
Regional Labor Director Md Mizanur Rahman said that the stalemate particularly affected temporary workers in the shrimp sector, as well as transport and handling workers, cutting off the income of daily wage laborers.