RAJSHAHI, Dec 29: Due to increased diesel price, fishing cost has gone up in the district. Also fishes are not available in rivers as the fishing season is over. Fishers are hiccupping to purchase diesel. Their debt burden is increasing unabated.
According to field sources, on an average, one fishing trawler requires five litres of diesel per day. One litre diesel price has been increased by Tk 15; each trawler costs an extra amount of Tk 75. This extra price is taking toll on their daily earning.
Fishing experts said, most fishers have yet to come out of the pandemic. In this situation they are haunted by debt burden.
According to sources at Fisheries Department, there are about 1.40 lakh fishers in eight districts of Rajshahi Division. Of them, 70 per cent are used to catch fishes in 33 rivers. Their catches constitute 20 per cent of the total netted fishes of 5 lakh metric tons (MT) in the division. There are more 1.40 lakh fishers in the division. They catch 70 per cent of the total fishes netted from pond yearly; 10 per cent are caught from beels (water bodies) and other water sources.
Yearly over 55,000 MT of surplus fishes are sent from the division to big towns in Dhaka and other districts.
While talking with this correspondent of The Daily Observer, fishers in Padma River banking Char Saatbaria, Nabaganga, and Berpara, said, most of them purchase diesel from local traders at Tk 85 per litre on credit. But traders have stopped selling of diesel, on credit, to those who have not cleared dues.
The fishing off-peak season continues from October-November to March-April. At that time, rivers remain full of water with thin presence of fishes. From April-May to August-September is held as peak season. Then water of the dry season starts to recede while rivers get filled again for rainfall. So, huge fishes can be netted at that time.
Fisher Mustakim Billah of Char Saatbaria said, "Normally we don't get so fishes in the off-peak season. So the increased price of diesel has deteriorated our pain."
Mustakim and 21 others are used to catch fishes with five boats. They require 15 litres of diesel per day, on an average.
He said on credit they purchased 19,125 litres of diesel in the last two weeks. But they only netted a nine kilogram weighted fungus. Through auction, it was sold at Tk 7,000.
Mustakim said, "What will we do with this price? What will be our share? How much of the diesel price can be paid?"
"Because of the high diesel price many of us have shifted to rickshaw-pulling", he added.
"Some of the daily sale money is paid to diesel trader. And we are taking the rest money. We are waiting for peak season when our daily income crosses Tk 50,000," said another Jamal Uddin.
The peak season earning never comes to the use of fishers, said Prof ABM Mahsin of Department of Fisheries of Rajshahi University. During the off-peak season, the credit burdens of fishers go so high and their peak-season earnings are mostly paid as dues, he added. They need off-season assistance from the government, he maintained.
"As my credit purchase of diesel has reached Tk 7,000, the trader has stopped diesel to me. It takes one week or more to get 1 or 2 pieces of fish. How can I pay dues of diesel, if fish is not netted?", said Shah Jamal of Saatbaria.
Diesel Trader Abul Kalam said, "I give them diesel on credit. But it can be within my capacity."
Fisher Mahbub Hossain of Berpara area said, he and two others are used to catch small fishes every day. They purchase diesel of Tk 510 per day and get into the Padma River. Their daily sale of catches, such as Peoli, Banshpata, shrimp, Khoyra, Punti, Tengra, and Bele, stands at Tk 1,000. After excluding food cost, they each get about Tk 200.
Already he has been indebted of Tk 45,000. "We have to take credit money for survival," he added.
Another fisherman Asadul Haq said, he is spending an extra amount of Tk 100 for the increased price of diesel.
Deputy Director of Fisheries Department Alok Kumar said, "Fishers have informed me of their sufferings. I have informed their sufferings to the highest authority. I have yet to get any feedback. If there is any assistance, I will give it to them."
