The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Satkhira

Shrimp enclosures in the country are being widely affected by virus as low quality and virus- affected fry are smuggled into the country from India through the border of the district, causing huge loss to the shrimp cultivators.

Sources said every day huge quantity of shrimp fry are being smuggled into the country through the five bordering upazilas of the district.

Smugglers bring in the low quality and virus-affected fry through various border points. These include Kakdanga, Daudkhali, Borali, Goira, Chandanpur, Bhadali, Chanduria, Madra, Keragacchi and Charabari of Koloroa upazila; Reioo, Taluigacch, Banshdaha, Bhomra, Satani, Jhaudanga and Jugibari of sadar uapzila; Chhutipur, Basantapur, Bhatshala, Sakhra, Komorpur, Char Sreepur, Town Sreepur, Kulia, Patlia and Gazirhat of Devhata uapzila; Banshtola, Khanjia, Uksha, Nurnagar and Nazimganj of Kaliganj upazila; and Paranpur, Noikati, Kultoli and Koikhali of Shyamnagar uapzila.

The smugglers sell the fry to the owners of 'Bagda' nurseries and 'Galda' hatcheries of the border areas from where these are sold as locally produced fry to shrimp cultivators of various districts.

Shrimps get affected by virus in enclosures across the country after the shrimp cultivators release their smuggled virus-affected fry in the enclosures.

While talking to the UNB correspondent, some shrimp fry smugglers of Kaliganj uapzila said locally produced shrimp fry (Galda) costs Tk 2,000-2,500 per 1000 while Indian fry costs only Tk 1,200 per 1000. They said they could earn profits of Tk 1,000 from 1000 fry brought from India.

Again, 1,000 Indian fry (Bagda) costs Tk 150 against Tk 250-Tk 300 in case of locally produced fry, they said.

The shrimp fry smugglers also said that they have to bring the fry into the country after managing the law enforcers along the border.

Some shrimp cultivators of Asassuni upazila, including Moniruzzamna, Amin and Bari, said they could not earn profit in the last few years due to virus attack in their enclosures.

They said they are worried whether they would be able to recover the production cost this year.

Besides, the shrimp cultivators are being deceived by the hatchery owners as they also secretly buy the sub-standard shrimp fry from the smugglers and sell those to the unsuspecting cultivators as locally produced fry at high price.

District Fisheries Department sources said the cultivators would require 186.38 crore Bagda fry and 8.21 crore Galda fry to cultivate Bagda shrimps on 54,503 hectares of land and Galda shrimp on 5,805 hectares this year.

Fisheries Officer Hasanuzzaman Chowdhury said the shrimp cultivators opt for low-priced Indian fry due to high price of the locally produced fry.

He also said that the smugglers bring in the low quality and virus affected Indian shrimp fry through the border to earn windfall profit though it is prohibited to bring all kinds of fry from India.

He also mentioned that the Fisheries Directorate recently warned the local Bagda nurseries and Galda hatcheries not to sell the virus-affected Indian fry.

The Fisheries Directorate also requested the BDR to strengthen surveillance along the border to halt the smuggling of shrimp fry, the Fisheries Officer said.

Satkhira 41-Rifle Battalion operations officer Major Kamrul Hasan said BDR jawans of various border posts have been altered so that no shrimp fry could enter into the country from India.

He informed that the BDR recently seized smuggled fry worth Tk 100,000 from the border areas.