The prospect of shrimp sector as a foreign exchange earner has brightened with the possibility of bulk exports of fries.

Traders and shrimp fry hatchery owners say the county can earn around Tk 800 crore from exporting shrimp fries produced in Satkhira, Khulna and Cox's Bazar hatcheries after meeting the home demand if a little attention is paid to the sector. It can be increased substantially in future.

The prospect has been opened with the export of fries to India.

An Indian company --Ata Export Company-- imported 10 lakh fries from Modern Hatchery at Cox's Bazar, the first consignment sent through Bhomra land port here on February 15. The Indian company will import 20 crore fries.

The export deal has raises hopes among hatchery owners.

According to sources in the Shrimp Fry Hatchery Owners Association, there are 53 hatcheries in Cox's Bazar which produce shrimp fry. They can produce over 2000 crore shrimp fries annually, if scientific methods are applied and things are planned well.

The domestic demand is only 400 to 500 crore fries for shrimp enclosures in about 6000 hectares of land in Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat and Cox's Bazar, they said.

About 1500 crore fries can be exported, they said.

According to Fisheries Department sources, shrimps are being cultivated now on 4706 hectares in Satkhira and 1284

hectares in Khulna, Bagerhat and Cox's Bazar.

Now, shrimp fries are sold at Tk 200 to Tk 300 per thousand in Satkhira, Khulna and Bagerhat markets.

Officials of Modern Hatchery at Satkhira said the fries exported to India are of good quality, as stated by the officials of Ata Export Company, who visited the some hatcheries.

Shrimp fry trader Abul Kalam Babla told this correspondent that another Indian company has sent a proposal to import 20 crore fries.

Officials of Soudia Hatchery in Satkhira, which represents another Indian company, said a huge quantity of fries can be exported to India if quality is maintained.

Shrimp fry can be a good export sector if the government takes up a comprehensive programme, said Satkhira Chamber of Commerce and Industries President Sheikh Azhar Hossain.

He urged the government to come forward with a programe for technical support so that hatchery owners can produce good quality fries for export. Bangladesh usually exports frozen adult shrimps to USA and European countries.

Shrimp cultivators Abdul Mazid, Salamatullah, Abdul Bari, Alhaj Shamsher Gazi said the production of both shrimps and fries can be increased if they are trained in scientific methods of cultivation.

He said shrimp farms now release fries three to four times more than needed because of ignorance. A large quantity is destroyed now.