That the government's move to establish a modern dried fish processing plant is an important one can be explained from the high prospect of both domestic and overseas marketing of dried fish as well as the financial benefit likely to occur to numerous impoverished fishermen in the coastal areas. A report published in this newspaper says the dried fish processing centre to be set up at Khurushkul in the southeastern coastal district of Cox's Bazar at a cost of taka two billion with modern facilities for fish preservation, drying, and packaging will cater to the increasing demand of the item at home and abroad. The plant, according to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec), will have an annual production capacity of 14,000 tonnes, and will also provide storage and marketing facilities for local and international markets.
The project appears to address some of the key issues hindering the growth of dried fish production up to the expected level. Reports say, in order to equip the plant with logistics and technology, Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation (BFDC) is going to build a fish landing shed, a modern laboratory, and cold storage of 100-tonne capacity. BFDC will also establish 380 mechanical dryers, 350 of which will be of the greenhouse type, a packaging factory and 36 sales centres by December 2023. These, among others, as incorporated in the project look fine to start with.
It might seem intriguing that despite the increasing local and overseas demand, there is no modern and hygienic facility in the country for dry fish processing. It is the sole initiative of the fishermen that have resulted in indigenous methods of dried fish processing, mostly in the vicinity of the catching points. One such is in Nazirtek in Cox's Bazar. Dublar char in Khulna district is another big fish drying and processing hub. The latter, however, is functional only during the dry season when the tide is low and the char skirting part of the Sudarbans remains above water for some months.
The open-air drying method with sunlight as the only aid is no doubt primitive, and there is vulnerability, too, from sudden downpour or squall. However strange it may seem, it is this method of processing that has been instrumental in meeting domestic demand as well as sending increasing volumes abroad as export. It has been gathered that over a period of last ten years export growth has been manifold-- from little over a paltry 600 tonnes to nearly 2500 tonnes, according to the department of fisheries data. Observers believe that this figure is far below the actual capacity, and that with the processing plant coming into operation in a couple of years, prospect of a meteoric increase in export is not at all far-fetched. Over and above, this is going to bring an end to the unhygienic methods of processing, reliant largely on the use of harmful preservatives and chemicals to ward off worms and prolong shelf life. It is expected that all concerned would be forthcoming to make the project a success.