Page 84 - ICE BUSINESS TIMES February 2020

The coastal districts of Bangladesh boast a modernization, those practices have selling dried fish. What started as a small
rich history of trading dry fishes or shutki reduced significantly. Thanks to the endeavor by some local fishermen, many
from time immemorial. Thanks to the Bay initiatives taken by both public and private of whom were migrants from other
of Bengal, Bangladeshi fishermen catch bodies, fishermen are now aware of the coastal districts, has turned into a
hundreds of tons of saltwater fish. Not all techniques to dry fish in a healthy way. burgeoning trade center of dried fish
of those could be sold in a day or two. Earlier they used to stack up the fishes on today. Directly around 25 thousand people
Thus, the local fishermen developed the wooden smears. Nowadays mechanical are associated with this business and
methods of drying out fish and eventually fish dryers are being used for the same indirectly, some 50 thousand more are
selling them off. purpose. More than 20 fishermen are dependent for their livelihoods on dried
Considered to be a delicacy, dry fish have trained to dry fish with mechanical dryer. fish. There are around 40 different types
made their way to the plates of foodies; Thanks to Coast Trust, they have also of fish which are very popular among the
enchanting their taste buds, mitigating learned about organic ways of processing traders and buyers. Among those loitya,
their demand of protein and adding money dry fish. Dipping the fish into a solution of chhuri, chanda, poka, koral, maitya, poa,
to the national exchequer through being ground dried chilis and turmeric is one of laikhya, small and big shrimp, chapa hari,
exported. The basic idea behind processing the best methods, before drying it. Winter soma-matya are mostly sold. Around 20%
raw fish to dry ones is simple: sundry the is the best time for dried fish business. of the fish processed at Najirartek are sold
fish so that the water content from the Due to the lack of moisture in the air, it's locally; the rest 80% are sent to wholesale
flesh evaporates leaving the muscle easy to dry fish on the sea beaches; one markets in Chattogram. To add more
enzyme in an inactive phase, which could just needs to hang them from a stack. dynamism in the dry fish business,
otherwise prompt rotting. The problem of Among all the districts, Coxsbazar is government should raise awareness about
traditional drying method is the chance of considered to be the leading hub when it organic processing and solve the issues
infestation by insects and other comes to dry fish processing. Najirartek, pertaining to land acquisition by the
microorganisms. To prevent that from an area in Coxsbazar has a shanty fishermen. With such stimuli, the dry fish
happening, fishermen used to spray consisting of only fishermen families who business will receive the much-needed
harmful chemicals. However, thanks to earn their livelihoods by processing and impetus.

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