The Padma Bridge will help improve the internal supply chain and lower commodity prices, experts say.
Talking to Dhaka Tribune, Khulna farmer Sirajul Islam said that he used to bring extra ice to keep fish and other products intact and send them to the warehouse on trucks.
“However, as the vehicles get stuck for hours waiting for the ferry, the ice melts and the fishes get wasted. So, if we miss the ferry once, the cost goes up and we don’t make a sale that day,” he added.
He added: “But the Padma Bridge has opened up a new path. We will be able to supply more and people will pay lower prices for the various goods from now on.”
He thanked the present government and the prime minister for the opportunity.
Thousands of businessmen have expressed similar sentiments on the opportunities provided by the Padma Bridge.
Harun Mullah told this correspondent that every day about 170 tons of different species of fish were taken to the capital from Khulna, Satkhira and Bagerhat. The market value of these fishes is about Tk4 crore.
“However, fish procured from the Sundarbans and the Bay of Bengal also come to Khulna while Barisal, Jhalokati and Pirojpur together produce 2 lakh tons of guavas per year. Last year, there was a wholesale price of Tk10 to Tk12 per kg,” he continued.
There are more than 25,000 to 27,000 tons of betel nuts in the region. Prices of the betel nuts start from Tk5 per kg and sometimes go down to Tk1 or Tk2.
The wholesale business owner also said that 80% of the country's watermelon yield was in Khulna, Satkhira and Bagerhat.
There are 33 to 35 types of vegetables in the Jessore region which go out to diverse regions of the country, including Dhaka.
The businessmen said that the marketing of these goods was a huge challenge in bringing and supplying them across the country due to the mismanagement in ferry services.
But they now see the Padma Bridge as a beacon of hope for the people and businessmen of south-west Bangladesh.
“Both businessmen and customers will enjoy its benefits,” an industry insider said.
