Harta night fish market biggest in south region
Harta Bazar wholesale fish market under Ujirpur upazila of the district has become the biggest such market in the southern region.
Local fish worth around Tk 2 crore to Tk 3 crore are traded in the market from midnight to 4:300am every day. Fish traders from different parts of the country come here to buy fresh and large local sweet water fish.
Fishermen have been bringing freshly caught fish from different areas of Sandhya and Sugandha rivers and hundreds of beels in Ujirpur, Agailjhara and Kotalipara upazilas to this market for twelve years.
One will be amazed to see the quality and big size of sweet water fish like rui, katla, mrigel, silver carp and telapia, said Narendranath Baroi of the market.
Seventeen wholesalers and thousands of fishermen are engaged in trading in the market, he added.
Not only big fish, but some small local fish like koi, magur, taki, puti and soul, are also available here, said wholesaler Nikhil Biswas.
The best local sweet water fish can be bought for Tk 300 to Tk 400 per kg, and big size rui and katla will cost Tk 400 to Tk 500 per kg, said Uttam Baroi, another wholesaler.
There are five ice factories here, and a cold storage is also needed, said Chairman of Harta Union Parishad Haren Roy.
Upazila Fishery Officer Abul Kalam Azad said traders from different areas of the country do business of over Tk 2 crore to Tk 3 crore of sweet water fish every day. This market is the most important wholesale fish market in the southern region, he added.
The market is in the middle of Gopalganj, Kotalipara, Madaripur and Barisal riverine areas, so it is easy to bring fish in trawlers. Due to this, the importance of this market is increasing day by day.
Traders are afraid of their security because a dacoity took place in the market a year ago, traders in Harta Bazar said.
Deputy Commissioner Md Habibur Rahaman said they are planning to build Harta Bazar as a model market, adding that a police camp has been set up in the area to solve the security problem.