BSS, Khulna :
Crab cultivation through sustainable technology has brought smile and made around 300 farmers self -reliant in Khulna, Bagerhat and Satkhira districts.
Both government and non government initiatives especially training and bank loan facilities helped farmers for achieving the success.
Senior Assistant Director of District Fisheries Amal Kanti Roy told BSS that most of the farmers in the region, who cultivate crab and tiger shrimp at the same enclousure, are hoping to earn more profit.
District Fisheries Office and Sushilon, an NGO, gave training to 300 shrimp farmers under a project titled ‘Project for Crab Farming Through Modern Technology’ from August 2016 to June 30, 2017, he said.
Cultivation of crab on 33 decimals of land at Charcharia village under Dumuria upazila has brought smiles on the faces of the family members of Mithu Rani Sarker.
Mithu Rani, a resident of Shahosh union of Dumuria upazila in Khulna, has become self-reliant by cultivating crab.
Rani said, “My husband was a day laborer and sometimes he worked as a
helper with fishermen and bowali in the Sundarbans.”
She said members of her family used to pass days in starvation as her husband’s income was not sufficient to run their family.
In 2016, she came to know about the training programme and received training from Dumuria upazila fisheries office.
The fisheries office also helped her to get loan from bank, she said.
“After a long training, I started crab cultivation in 2017 and got profit of Taka 67, 000 in that year,” Rani added.
Rani, was also awarded for being best upazila level woman entrepreneur during national fisheries week on July 19-25 last year.
With a smiling face, she said she is lucky to have learnt how to cultivate crab and it has changed her fortune. Her husband also works with her.
Khulna Fisheries Officer Prafulla Sarker said under the Government’s research project of eel (Kuchia) and crab cultivation in selected areas across the country, upazila fisheries office provided training to poor farmers including women aiming for making them self-reliant.
“Crab farmers purchased crab fry from nearby kitchen market. After 10 to 15 days of cultivation, farmers sold big crab to the same kitchen market,” he said.
Some farmers also collected crab fry from natural water resources like river and canal, he said, adding that crab mostly live on natural fauna andsmall fish fry.
The commercially viable crabs’ has great export potentials and ushers in economic prospects for those poor people who wish to get high and fast returns from limited land resources, he added.
Talking to Pinaki Sarker, husband of Mithu Rani, said, “I purchase crab fries from Kapilmuni Bazar under Paikgachha upazila, adjacent to Dumuria, and also sell big ones at the same market.
“Now we have a dream that our two children would get higher education and later on will turn into good businessmen,” he added.
While visiting Kapilmuni kitchen market on Monday, this reporter witnessed that crab farmers are selling crab to businessmen from Dhaka.
A crab trader Uday Sarker said at least 20 tonnes of crabs are sold from 25 depots and six sub depots at this crab hub every year.
Like Mithu Rani Sarker, Ratan Sarker, Parimol Mondal of Batiaghata upazila achieved their goal through farming crab as its cultivation is easier and profitable.
Crab cultivation through sustainable technology has brought smile and made around 300 farmers self -reliant in Khulna, Bagerhat and Satkhira districts.
Both government and non government initiatives especially training and bank loan facilities helped farmers for achieving the success.
Senior Assistant Director of District Fisheries Amal Kanti Roy told BSS that most of the farmers in the region, who cultivate crab and tiger shrimp at the same enclousure, are hoping to earn more profit.
District Fisheries Office and Sushilon, an NGO, gave training to 300 shrimp farmers under a project titled ‘Project for Crab Farming Through Modern Technology’ from August 2016 to June 30, 2017, he said.
Cultivation of crab on 33 decimals of land at Charcharia village under Dumuria upazila has brought smiles on the faces of the family members of Mithu Rani Sarker.
Mithu Rani, a resident of Shahosh union of Dumuria upazila in Khulna, has become self-reliant by cultivating crab.
Rani said, “My husband was a day laborer and sometimes he worked as a
helper with fishermen and bowali in the Sundarbans.”
She said members of her family used to pass days in starvation as her husband’s income was not sufficient to run their family.
In 2016, she came to know about the training programme and received training from Dumuria upazila fisheries office.
The fisheries office also helped her to get loan from bank, she said.
“After a long training, I started crab cultivation in 2017 and got profit of Taka 67, 000 in that year,” Rani added.
Rani, was also awarded for being best upazila level woman entrepreneur during national fisheries week on July 19-25 last year.
With a smiling face, she said she is lucky to have learnt how to cultivate crab and it has changed her fortune. Her husband also works with her.
Khulna Fisheries Officer Prafulla Sarker said under the Government’s research project of eel (Kuchia) and crab cultivation in selected areas across the country, upazila fisheries office provided training to poor farmers including women aiming for making them self-reliant.
“Crab farmers purchased crab fry from nearby kitchen market. After 10 to 15 days of cultivation, farmers sold big crab to the same kitchen market,” he said.
Some farmers also collected crab fry from natural water resources like river and canal, he said, adding that crab mostly live on natural fauna andsmall fish fry.
The commercially viable crabs’ has great export potentials and ushers in economic prospects for those poor people who wish to get high and fast returns from limited land resources, he added.
Talking to Pinaki Sarker, husband of Mithu Rani, said, “I purchase crab fries from Kapilmuni Bazar under Paikgachha upazila, adjacent to Dumuria, and also sell big ones at the same market.
“Now we have a dream that our two children would get higher education and later on will turn into good businessmen,” he added.
While visiting Kapilmuni kitchen market on Monday, this reporter witnessed that crab farmers are selling crab to businessmen from Dhaka.
A crab trader Uday Sarker said at least 20 tonnes of crabs are sold from 25 depots and six sub depots at this crab hub every year.
Like Mithu Rani Sarker, Ratan Sarker, Parimol Mondal of Batiaghata upazila achieved their goal through farming crab as its cultivation is easier and profitable.
