Crab farming opens new export opportunities at Dumuria

 
DUMURIA, KHULNA, July 19: Crab farming is rapidly gaining popularity in Dumuria Upazila of Khulna, offering farmers higher returns in a shorter period than traditional paddy cultivation or conventional fish farming and opening up new opportunities for export earnings.

Favourable climatic conditions, easy access to saline water and strong demand in international markets have encouraged hundreds of unemployed youths and small-scale farmers to take up commercial crab farming, helping many achieve financial stability.

Commercial production of high-value crabs is now taking place in wetlands and shrimp enclosures across several unions of the upazila. Besides meeting domestic demand, the crabs are being exported to overseas markets.

Farmers say crab farming involves fewer disease outbreaks than most fish species and requires only three to four months before the crabs are ready for market. Both soft-shell and hard-shell crab fattening are practised in the area, with each fetching attractive prices.

Officials of the Department of Fisheries (DoF) say the sector has been expanding steadily and is creating new income opportunities for rural communities.

Sohel Md Zillur Rahman Regan, senior fisheries officer of Dumuria Upazila, said the area's soil and saline water make it highly suitable for crab farming.

"Farmers are gradually moving away from traditional farming methods and adopting modern crab fattening techniques," he said.

"The Department of Fisheries regularly provides technical support, advises farmers on selecting quality crab seed and offers guidance on enclosure management. As crab farming involves relatively low risk and high profitability, more entrepreneurs are entering the sector every year, bringing significant changes to the rural economy."

Khulna District Fisheries Officer Md Badruzzaman said crabs produced in the region enjoy a strong reputation in international markets because of their quality.

"There is substantial demand for Khulna's crabs in China, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, Japan and the United Arab Emirates," he said.

"The sector is becoming one of the country's important export industries. We are working to strengthen market linkages so farmers receive fair prices while reducing the influence of middlemen. The government is also implementing various initiatives to expand environmentally sustainable crab farming."

Farmers from Madartala, Magurkhali, Sahas and Shovna unions said many who once struggled with debt have improved their financial condition through crab farming, enabling them to build permanent houses and purchase land.

According to local farmers, juvenile crabs collected from nearby rivers and canals are reared in enclosures for 30 to 80 days using scientific feeding methods before being sold.

Female crabs carrying roe command particularly high prices, while Grade-1 male crabs are also in strong demand in export markets.

Farmers, however, urged the government to provide easier access to agricultural loans and expand hatchery facilities for artificial breeding of crab seed.

They believe that with improved financing and a reliable supply of hatchery-produced seed, crab farming in Dumuria could make a contribution to Bangladesh's export earnings comparable to that of the country's shrimp industry.