Dried fish industry a boon to Pirojpur villagers
The Pirojpur coast has just the right geography to support a dried fish industry. In Badura village on the bank of the Kacha river, fish caught fresh in the Bay of Bengal are brought to be sun-dried. Yet it's not local stomachs that traders have in mind. Shutki, as dried fish is locally known, is not traditional fare in Pirojpur. Most of Badura's processed catch is destined instead to delight Chittagonian palates.
“During the season from mid-October to mid-March, we send a truckload of dried fish to Chittagong about once a fortnight,” says one trader, Akijur Rahman, 38. “It takes four maunds of fresh fish to make each maund of dried.”
More than thirty different types of fish including eels, catfish, knife fish and hilsa are dried in the Badura yards, according to Akijur, usually for a period of around ten days.
“At the Chittagong wholesale market we expect a maund of dried fish will sell for around Tk 12,000, depending on variety and quality” he says. “Net profit is not less than Tk 500 per maund.”
The dried fish industry in Badura began around a decade ago when one local fish trader, Abdul Barek, who has since passed away, thought to try it. His success inspired others and the local industry was born.
Now, Badura village produces dried fish worth around Tk 1 crore each year, with four major processing zones situated along each side of the Badura canal. The traders claim that no chemicals are used in their product. They also note that leftover scraps are sold at healthy prices to a nearby poultry feed factory.
Alongside the traders, the dried fish industry has created employment opportunities for many others. “Around 25 people work here during the peak drying season,” says Anwar Hossain Talukder, a labourer at one of the businesses. “Workers can earn up to Tk 10,000 per month.”
With no shortage of demand for dried fish in Chittagong, Badura's industry stands on a solid foundation. The biggest risk is cloudy weather or rain, which can cause the fish to rot; traders also have to account for the cost of leasing the land where the fish will be dried.
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