UNB, Khulna :
The crab exporters of Khulna, Satkhira and Bagerhat are facing a tough time, thanks to lack of specific guidelines, resulting in the closure of a significant portion of the Tk 100 crore industry.
Talking about its export prospects, crab traders here said they exported crabs worth Tk 400 crore annually over the last three years, and it can eventually take over the pole position of ‘white gold’, which is currently attributed to lobsters.
Sources at the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) said Bangladesh had entered the global crab industry in 1977. The total volume of crabs exported stood at 2973 mt during the 2008-09 fiscal year, which took a leap to 4416 mt by 2011-12 and 8520 mt by 2013-14. The figure now stands at 10,500 mt as of 2015-16.
Crabs are currently exported to 18 countries, including China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, the USA and a few other Asian and European countries.
Lamenting over the halt of such a bright market, the crab traders expressed further frustration for not being able to catch baby crabs during breeding season, decreasing the production volume in the process.
Md Habibur Rahman Sheikh, president of Digraj Crab Traders’ Cooperative Association, said that crabs cannot be caught during breeding season, which is why they have to produce that using the ones from crab farms.
He alleged that police stop their shipments on the road, unaware of the difference and usually seize the whole lot.
Abdur Rahim Gazi, president of Chalna Crab Traders’ Cooperative Association, raised the same allegation against Coast Guard members, who unknowingly destroy the shipments, considering it to be illegal.
He added that these patrols usually take place in Dakop upazila and Khulna’s Batiaghata, where the major crab trade takes place.
Adibash Kumar, president of Paikgachha Crab Traders’ Association, said the ‘manufactured’ crab needs to reach the consumers within 4-5 days of being caught, otherwise they die.
If the law enforcement agents halt their trucks, he said, it delays reaching the markets and results in unnecessary harassment and financial losses.
Additional Director of Khulna Divisional Fish Inspection and Quality Control Laboratory, Prafulla Kumar Sarkar said that they do not possess the exact figures of crab production volume and the industry revenue statistics, which he redirected to Dhaka’s Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation.
The crab exporters of Khulna, Satkhira and Bagerhat are facing a tough time, thanks to lack of specific guidelines, resulting in the closure of a significant portion of the Tk 100 crore industry.
Talking about its export prospects, crab traders here said they exported crabs worth Tk 400 crore annually over the last three years, and it can eventually take over the pole position of ‘white gold’, which is currently attributed to lobsters.
Sources at the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) said Bangladesh had entered the global crab industry in 1977. The total volume of crabs exported stood at 2973 mt during the 2008-09 fiscal year, which took a leap to 4416 mt by 2011-12 and 8520 mt by 2013-14. The figure now stands at 10,500 mt as of 2015-16.
Crabs are currently exported to 18 countries, including China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, the USA and a few other Asian and European countries.
Lamenting over the halt of such a bright market, the crab traders expressed further frustration for not being able to catch baby crabs during breeding season, decreasing the production volume in the process.
Md Habibur Rahman Sheikh, president of Digraj Crab Traders’ Cooperative Association, said that crabs cannot be caught during breeding season, which is why they have to produce that using the ones from crab farms.
He alleged that police stop their shipments on the road, unaware of the difference and usually seize the whole lot.
Abdur Rahim Gazi, president of Chalna Crab Traders’ Cooperative Association, raised the same allegation against Coast Guard members, who unknowingly destroy the shipments, considering it to be illegal.
He added that these patrols usually take place in Dakop upazila and Khulna’s Batiaghata, where the major crab trade takes place.
Adibash Kumar, president of Paikgachha Crab Traders’ Association, said the ‘manufactured’ crab needs to reach the consumers within 4-5 days of being caught, otherwise they die.
If the law enforcement agents halt their trucks, he said, it delays reaching the markets and results in unnecessary harassment and financial losses.
Additional Director of Khulna Divisional Fish Inspection and Quality Control Laboratory, Prafulla Kumar Sarkar said that they do not possess the exact figures of crab production volume and the industry revenue statistics, which he redirected to Dhaka’s Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation.
