The dried fish season on the Sundarbans coast had barely begun when bad weather struck. Rain from a low-pressure system and rough seas disrupted fishing and drying at Dublar Char and nearby chars on the season's first day, Friday 30 October.
Forest Ranger Khalilur Rahman, officer in charge of the Dublar Char fishing settlement, said heavy rain had been falling since Thursday night, holding up both fishing and the building of new huts for fishers arriving for the season.
Fishers cannot go to sea in the rain, and work on drying racks and other structures has stopped. Without sun, fish already caught cannot be dried.
Every year from late October to March, fishing and drying run on Dublar Char, Alorkol, Meher Ali and other chars, drawing thousands of fishers from across the coast.
Fishers say many came with advances and loans from moneylenders. With fishing and drying stopped at the outset, that money is at risk; if the weather does not improve, incomes will fall and repaying the loans may become hard.
The Forest Department has set a revenue target of Tk 8 crore for the season, which a lower output could also affect. Agricare24 published the report crediting Risingbd.
Photo: dried fish processing in Bangladesh, Kmonsoor / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Source: Agricare24
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