Tanjinul Haque Rumon
The fish scales from Tangail are being exported to many foreign countries. The fish scales trade is being expanded by the fishermen in the district. The traders in Tangail make good profit from exporting fish scales.
The fish scales are sold at Tk 80-100 to the wholesalers at almost all large markets of the district. Huge amount of fish scales is being exported not only from Tangail but also from other districts of the country. The fishermen and fish traders are earning extra money by selling fish scales.
Moreover, many people sell it from their houses. The fish scales are used as the raw material to produce many necessary and luxury products. The business is being expanded significantly in Tangail.
Fish scales are residual parts of fishes which is normally thrown away by the people. But, it has many amazing uses. After processing, a large amount of fish scales is exported to Japan, China, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, South Korea and other countries from Bangladesh.
There are several uses of fish scales in the world. Fish scale is composed of collagen which is used to produce food, medicine, food supplement and cosmetics. It is also sold in the markets of Europe and USA. China and Japan produce Bio-piezoelectric nanogenerator from fish scales. It is used for charging the rechargeable batteries. It is also used to generate house electricity. Besides, fish scales are used to produce battery, electronic products, artificial cornea, fish and poultry feed.
A fish consists of 2 percent fish scales of its body weight. It is actually applicable for carp fishes. A research shows that around 27 thousand 278 metric tonnes fish scales are produced in Bangladesh per year. The people who cut fishes, wholesalers and dealers collect these fish scales. 90 percent of the collected fish scales are exported. The amount is almost 2,500 metric tonnes. The fish scales are mainly exported to Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and China. Per metric tonne fish scales is sold at 350-470 Dollar.
According to Export Promotion Bureau statistics, Bangladesh exports fish scales worth Tk 200 crore every year. About 5,000 people are directly involved with this profession. 10-12 foreign traders control the business.
Researchers think that although fish scales are considered as wastage, it can be a promising new item to diversify potential in the country. A huge amount fish scales are exported from Bangladesh. However, the commercial use of it in the country has not established yet. It is high time to export it at a fair price after ensuring the commercial use of fish scales with the public, private and personal initiative. Fish scales are used to produce many products and medicines.
The fishermen and fish traders said the fish scales need to be washed in clean hot water and dry in the sun for processing. Then it becomes ready to be sold. The fish scales are sold to the wholesalers twice or three times in a year. The wholesalers come from different parts of the country and buy these. Per maund fish scales is sold at Tk 3,600 to Tk 4,000. Not only fish scales but also fish galls are sold. Galls are used to produce fish feed. The price of fish scales varies according to the variety of the fishes. The price of scales of big fishes such as Ruhi, Catla and other big fishes are high. The price of small fishes is different.
Shajib, a fish cutter at Chhoy Ani fish market in Tangail, said that he takes Tk 20-30 to cut per Kg of fish. Moreover, he earns around Tk 30,000 by selling fish scales per year. He can sell around 6-8 maunds fish scales a year.
Another fish cutter, Md Sohel, said I am involved in fish trading for 14 years. I have been selling fish scales for seven years. The fish scales can be sold twice or three times in a year. The wholesalers from Chattogram, Bogura and Dhaka come to Tangail to buy fish scales. Fish scales wholesaler of Bogura, Md Monir, said I sell 40 tonnes fish scale to a trader of Dhaka in a year. I started fish scale business in Tangail for two years. I buy 3-4 tonnes fish scales from Tangail in a year. I buy fish scales from Tk 90 to 100.
He also said I buy fish scales from Rajshahi, Kushtia, Pabna and other areas of the country and sell these to Dhaka. There is a huge demand of fish scale.
Associate Professor of Nutrition and Food Engineering department of Daffodil International University, Md Harun-or-Rashid, is doing research on the technology of producing food ingredient from fish scales. He said there are opportunities to produce many environment-friendly items from fish scales in Bangladesh and make profit. However, the main obstacles of it is lack of technology or research on technological invention, lack of assistance and lack of investment in this sector. Tangail District Fisheries Officer Abul Kalam Azad said there are many uses of fish scales. It is used in fabric, medicine and toiletries sector. Agriculture University successfully did several researches on fish scales. It is being exported to many countries from Bangladesh. He also said work with all the fish markets is underway. A survey on how much fish scales are collected every day is being held. More details can be told after the completion of the work.
