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Poor fish supply upsets shutki makers in Chalanbeel

Ahmed Humayun Kabir Topu, back from Mohishluti, Sirajganj
Fish farmers of Pabna, Sirajganj and Natore districts in Chalanbeel region are busy producing dried fish (shutki), but they are quite depressed this year as they are not getting adequate supply of local varieties of fish from the biggest waterbody in north Bengal.
Only 200 maunds to 250 maunds of fish are being dried every day at Mohishluti Shutki Arat in Tarash upazila of Sirajganj during the peak of fish drying season this year, although 500 maunds to 600 maunds were dried per day last year.
Six out of ten big sheds for drying fish at the Mohishluti Shutki Palli are shut this year due to lack of adequate supply of fish,
according to the producers of dried fish in Chalanbeel.
“1 am drying fish in one of the two sheds here as I did not get adequate supply of fish this year," fish trader Delwar Hossain of Solonga upazila of Sirajganj told this correspondent when he (correspondent) visited Mohishluti Shutki Palli.
“Around 50 maunds to 60 maunds of fish are needed every day for running one shed fully, but I was able to collect only 20 maunds to 30 maunds from Mohishluti fish market, the biggest fish market of Chalanbeel, in the lastfew weeks," Delwar added.
Producers of Chalanbeel dry puti, koi, moushi, tengra, pabda, shoil, taki, bayem, guchi and many other local varieties of fish. Production of all varieties of local fish
decreased this year, bringing suffering for the fishermen in Chalanbeel, producers said.
Due to lack of floodwater and less rain during the monsoon, Chalanbeel did not get sufficient flow of water this year, resulting in poor fish production, according to fishery experts.
"Production of local variety fish has decreased this year in the biggest waterbody of the northern district due to the scarcity of water," Pabna District Fishery Officer Md Abdur Rouf told this correspondent.
"The producers dried about 100 maunds to 120 maunds of fish every day in Mohishluti Shutki Palli a year ago, but only 40 maunds to 50 maunds are being dried every day this year due to the lack of adequate supply of fish," said Md Tofazzal
Hossain, another dried fish producer.
Although the production of dried fish is 50 percent less this year than last year, the price has soared, making the producers of dried fish quite happy, Tofazzal said. Each maund of dried fish was sold at Ik 6,000 to Tk 8,000 a year ago, while it is Tk 12,000 to Ik 15,000 this year, he said, adding that they are expecting trading oflk 100 crore to Tk 150 crore of dried fish in Chalanbeel this year.
Several thousand marginal fishermen in different districts in Chalanbeel area produce dried fish in their households and sell those in the winter for earning extra money every year, but they are suffering due to scarcity of fish in the waterbody this year, said Md Ashrafiil Islam, a marginal dried fish trader of Sirajganj.