Dry fish business in Kuliarchar of Kishoreganj district is facing a crisis as traders cannot market them due to the on going indefinite blockade and intermittent hartals.
Given the rampant petrol bomb attacks on vehicles across the country, it has been very difficult to find transport to distribute the fishes. As a result they are being eaten up by insects and losing quality day by day.
Reputed for its fishes, Kuliarchar has about 20-25 thousand people who rely on the fish business for their livelihood. In more than 300 households dried fish business is the main earning source.
Kishoreganj, being a district of a number of various water bodies, produce a lot of fresh water fishes, majority of which are dried and sold. There is a huge demand for dried fishes of Kishoreganj given its quality and taste.
The fishermen and traders use the traditional method of drying fish since there is no modern technical support from the government or private sector. The business which is usually a profitable one, has now turned into a headache for those who are involved with it.
Traders claimed that dried fishes are getting piled up everyday as they are not being able to distribute them. Moreover, since there is no storage facility, the fishes are left out in the open collecting dust and being vulnerable to insect attacks. Many traders are using harmful chemicals to save the dried fishes from insects. This is also putting consumers at risk.
Rahela Khatun and Faruk Mia, workers of a dry fish factory, said many people make a living out of the business in the dry seasons, especially from the month of November to April. “With the earning of these five months, we try to survive the rest of the year. But now because of the blockade, our earning is being hampered.”
Dry fish trader Kamal Uddin and Abdul Quddus said: “The business is profitable, but it is difficult to sustain with the loan from local people. If we could get bank loan, it would have been easier.” He also urged the political parties to end blockade and hartals.
General Secretary of the dry fish traders’ association, Sudin Das said they were not getting customers from other districts due to the blockade. “We are also not being able to go to other districts. We do not know how to survive if this situation continues,” he added.
Konok Kumar Paal, fisheries officer of Kuliarchar upazila said the dry fishes produced in the area was of high quality. They are also exported to other countries. He also urged for political stability to save the sector.
