South Bengal’s shrimp exports in crisis
Bagerhat Correspondent :
The main source of livelihood for the people living in the three coastal districts of Bagerhat, Khulna and Satkhira is saltwater fishing.
Being located very close to the Bay of Bengal, the area experiences an abundance of saltwater most of the year. Although the salinity of the soil decreases slightly during the monsoon season, it is very difficult to grow freshwater fish or crops due to the high salinity.
Therefore, the main source of livelihood for the people of this area is saltwater shrimp farming of various species. Bagda and Harina shrimp are among them.
As a result of this fast-growing and highly profitable shrimp farming, on the one hand, the livelihood of the people of South Bengal is ensured and on the other hand, a large amount of foreign currency is deposited in the government’s treasury. This delicious shrimp is highly valued in foreign countries. That is why shrimp is considered the second largest exportable product of Bangladesh.
Statistics show that 50 percent of the total income from shrimp comes from shrimp cultivated in Bagerhat, Khulna and Satkhira regions. The Bagda and Harina shrimp cultivated in the brackish water of that region are very delicious in taste and rich in protein and iodine, so shrimp from South Bengal has a good reputation internationally.
That is why shrimp from the coastal region is being exported to the international market after meeting the necessary demand in the country.
As a result, as the domestic economy is being strengthened, shrimp is also contributing significantly to the government’s treasury. Therefore, the shrimp farming project in the southern region is being considered one of the main sources of foreign exchange income for the government.
But unfortunately, some unexpected reasons have had an adverse effect on shrimp exports. According to the Export Promotion Bureau, although shrimp exports increased by 24 percent in the 2021-22 fiscal year, it has decreased significantly in the current 2022-2023, 2023-24 and 2024-25 fiscal year.
While in the fiscal year 2021-2022, shrimp exports contributed 407.3 million US dollars to the country’s treasury, which is equivalent to Tk.4,154 crore in the local currency, in the current fiscal years 2022-23/ 2023-24/2024-25/ although the export target for this sector was set at 500 million dollars, the income from the shrimp export sector decreased by 31.47 percent in the first six months of the fiscal years i.e. July-December.
According to exporters, the demand for shrimp in the two major markets of Bangladeshi shrimp, the European Union and the United States, has decreased due to the Russia-Ukraine war. As a result, shrimp exports have been negatively affected. Due to which the price of shrimp per kg has decreased by 250 to 500 taka depending on the quality.
On the other hand, the price of shrimp or food has increased. On the one hand, the demand for shrimp in the international market has decreased, and on the other hand, the price of shrimp feed has increased, marginal farmers are being deprived of the fair price of shrimp.
Marginal shrimp farmers claim that ‘the cost of shrimp production has doubled compared to the past’, while the market price of shrimp has almost halved. Due to this, they are facing losses from all sides. Shrimp farmers also claim that middlemen have increased the price of shrimp fry and shrimp feed by syndicating.
