Saleh Noman
Market prices of the fishes Hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha) are high but fishermen were paid a little in relation to the market price. At the same time due to high prices, the common people of the country are deprived of the test of this national fish.
As for the Department of Fisheries, the amount, size and weight of the Hilsa caught in the country increased recent year. As a result, the price of Hilsa has also decreased slightly, so the food of the upper class and the rich has come down to the upper middle-class buying range. But still is out of the range of middle and lower middle class as well as marginalized people.
Production of natural resource Hilsa increased five times from one lakh tonnes to five lakh tonnes between 2001 to 2018. The fish also contributed around 12 percent of total fish production of the country. Now it’s required an intervention of government with a policy in Hilsa marketing.
At Kithcen market of Sagarika Industrial area of Halishahar of Chattogram, in the Monday evening all the fish shops is full of Hilsha. The Fish of One kilogram weight was being sold at TK 1000 and minimum rate was TK 350 of Zhatka Hilsa.
Amiul Islam Mithu, who went the market to buy Hilsa as the full session of the national fish of the country is started told, “I came to this seaside market thinking that fish can be bought at a comparatively cheaper price, the price is as high as the other market in the city, actually the difference is very few.”
“The Hilsa are just brought to market only extracting from sea and rivers, why the price is so high compare to other fish, questioned Aminul, “Hilsa is a natural resource, no one farming or feeding this fish. So government should intervene the marketing of this natural resource”
Rasmani Ghat about one and a half kilometers away from Sagarika Bazar is a large fish landing center of Chattogram, where around 3000 fishermen are now very busy to extract Hilsa in Sandwip Channel, a part of Bay of Bangle, north after Chattogram Port. Around 50 purveyors known as moneylender and wholesaler in the area are also busy in their makeshift outlet to process Hilsa with ice and salt. Beside this a number of people are also there to buy Hilsa as wholesale basis.
Mamtaj Bepari ( 70) from Laxmi Pur district, the oldest Hilsa purveyors of this area told The Bangladesh Post, “Total Hilsa of this landing point is marketing through the different type of business men and farm. Some are have collection point here but many of them are seasonal. Fishermen have been paid a large amount of money in advance for Hilsa.”
“At one time the Hilsha fish was low in quantity, so there was not much traders. But now the number of traders has increased with the increase in the quantity of fish, said Mamtaj “most of these traders collect fish for different fish factories and big traders.
Momtaj said, “The number of traders is superfluous in proportion to the quantity of fish, after confirms their profit, every one gives the Hilsha fish to the market. Here price does not matter because of demand.”
Fisher men of Rashmoni Ghat, told this correspondent, they get only a few fraction of the value of the Hilsa fish that they extract. Making high interest loan for their livelihood and fishing instrument like boat and fishing gear during lean fishing period and after fishing to return money fishermen are bound to sell their Hilsa fishes at a low price to moneylender.
Narayan Das (51) a veteran fisherman in this area had taken loan of two lakhs from two mahajans or moneylenders. He has been fishing every day since July 25; the ban period of fishing in Bay of Bangle was lifted. But his Hilsa fish has to be handed over to the moneylender.
“They (moneylender) fixed the price of fish; sometimes they are fixing of worth TK 10,000 my fish value to TK 6,000 to TK 5,000. They will continue to do so until the money is paid,” Narayan was talking at dark and rainy night of last Monday as he went to the sea to fishing.
“If the fish has not given to the moneylenders and businessmen, they beat us. Rather than this we have not enough time to sell our fish in the market. Once the fish is taken from the sea, it is only a short time to go to the sea again for fishing. For this reason, fish have been selling at river bank, whatever the price is, said Asish Das (27), a young co- fisherman of the Narayan.
A joint survey of Mymanshing Agriculture University and Shylet Agriculture University showed that at Rashmoni Ghat 56% of the fishermen borrowed money from money lenders and 44% from the NGO’s. it was found that 65% of the fishermen sold their captured fishes to the dadonders/ mohajon, 25% to retailer and only 10% sold their fish to consumers directly.
Hilsa has secured recognition as the second Geographical Indication GI product of Bangladesh in 2017 also contributes 1% to GDP. Hilsa prevalence is increasing due to various measures taken by the government including conservation of mother fish and stopping Zhatka catch.
“But its need more initiative as well as a policy to distribute the benefit of natural resource Hilsa to marginalized people and fishermen properly, said Abul Hasnat, Director of the Marine Fisheries Department, MFD.
Explain the situation of Hilsa marketing he said, “At first fishermen should be free from cycle of loan of intricate conditions and high interest. Policies should be setup of marketing, so that everyone can buy Hilsha from fishermen directly. In that case price will be reducing. Currently, a large project called Sustainable Costal Fisheries Management is being implemented, which will improve the quality of livelihood of fishermen.”
Hilsa is caught and landed throughout the year, the majority of landing (60-70%) is found during the peak season Aught-October). In this season, about 60-70% Hilsa is found to be sexually mature and ripe.