Chalan Beel shutki prices seeing sharp decline

Dried fish or shutki, made out of fish caught in Chalan Beel region in Natore, is quite popular across the country for its taste and quality. Driven by the demand, its production in the region is also on the rise.

However, dried fish makers are not being able to reap the benefit of the high demands due to falling prices at markets this year.

Dried fish production reached up to 411 tonnes this season so far, from 320 tonnes in the season of 2019-20; and it might even exceed this year's production target, said Nazim Uddin, district fisheries survey officer.

The production in the season 2018-19 was 280 tonnes, he added.

Abdus Salam, a dried fish producer in Ningoin area of Singra upazila, said they were able to procure fish at low prices, as supply of fish was more than last year at the markets.

But after producing a huge amount of dried fish, they are finding it difficult to make profit from sales due to a fall in demand at the market, he also said.

There is only one dried fish market in Syedpur where there are not too many buyers. Their product would sell better if there was an easy way to cater to other markets in the country or overseas, said Nayon Hossain, another dried fish producer from the same area.

Dried fish trader Lutfar Rahman, from Ningoin shutkipolli, said all varieties of dried fish are selling for nearly 50 percent lower prices this year than that in the previous year.

However, Lilly Begum, a dried fish consumer, said dried fish from Chalan Beel area are tastier and hygienic, but the prices are high even for a buyer from the middleclass section of the society.

Contacted, Jahangir Alam, district fisheries officer in Natore, said, "The government is taking initiatives for export of dried fish to countries in the Middle East. We are providing training to dried fish producers on how to process fish naturally and produce dried fish without using any harmful chemicals."

He also said they urged the ministry to provide solar driers so the producers can continue to dry fish during inclement weather.