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Ice crisis hampers Hilsa business |
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July 29, 2000
Shariatpur (UNB) - When Hilsa crisis has prompted a section of businesspeople to import the delicious fish, some 1,500 maunds of hilsa perished in just one week in greater Faridpur district for lack of ice. Market sources said hilsa worth about Tk 75 lakh perished in Shariatpur, Madaripur, Gopalganj, Rajbari and Faridpur due to ice crisis attributed to low production caused by erratic power supply. Although the country saw a poor output of the delicious fish this season, there was a huge catch of it in the region during mid-July, flooding the local markets. Hundreds of fishing trawlers and boats carrying hilsa anchored the fish ghats in Shariatpur during the period, but the fishermen could not reap the benefit of its due to acute crisis of ice across the region. The adjoining areas of Asarchar, Kuakata, Fatrarchar, Alipur, Sureswar, Chandipur, Dularchar and Shibchar are some of the main fish markets of the district, where power outage is a regular feature. Abdus Salam, a fish trader, said ice is the main component for the proper preservation and marketing of hilsa as it dies soon after netting. A huge quantity of hilsa perished in the five districts this year simply for lack of ice although there are 150 ice factories in the region, he regretted. Sources at Power Development Board (PDB) said power supply in the region was severely disrupted during the period due to two major technical problems in the national grid, plunging over 30,000 poor fishermen of the region into a deep crisis. |