The government earned Taka 2,290 crore through exporting 29,681 tonnes of frozen shrimp and white fish from Khulna district in 2018-2019 fiscal year, said officials of district fisheries inspection and quality control (FIQC) office, reports BSS.Meanwhile, more than 18,562 tonnes of fishes were produced in the district in first six months on July to December in the current 2019-20 fiscal year up by 2000 tonnes at same time of previous year, said District FIQC officer ATM Towfiq Mahmud.
The government earned Taka 510 core through exporting the producing fish (18,562 tonnes) during the period, he said.
District fisheries officer Md. Abu Sayeed told BSS that frozen shrimp export companies have been playing a significant role in the economy as a foreign currency earner. It is also playing a leading role in marketing of Bangladeshi products abroad.
According to Bangladesh Frozen Food Exporters Association (BFFEA), there are huge demands of Bangladeshi frozen shrimps in the world market. The sector earned huge amount of money as foreign exchange in every year. Hundred percent of the exported frozen shrimp is cultivated locally.
Abdus Sabur, a shrimp exporter told the news agency that unsupervised supply of ‘Black Tiger Shrimps’ and ‘Fresh Water Prawns’ in the local market is a disincentive to farmers to preserve shrimps, resulting in production fall day by day.
Frozen fisheries and shrimp exporting companies collect shrimps and fishes following proper regulations in government-operated labs as well as in their own labs, before exporting them — a process which is not followed by the local market sellers, he said.
It is important to attain a healthy development by boosting country economy and creating adequate jobs. Increasing exports can help us not only to earn foreign currencies but also make our economy stronger, he added.