Crab now a potential forex earner

COX'S BAZAR, Aug 27: Crab has come out as a potential export earner for Bangladesh. Currently, the country exports around 28,000 tonnes of crab every year to more than 20 countries.
By exporting crab, Bangladesh earned about US$ 750 million in the last fiscal 2021-22, which was only US$ 2,000 in 1977-78, according to Export Promotion Bureau (EPB).
Foreigners love some 15 species of Bangladeshi crabs, said experts.
Bazlur Rahman, Cox's Bazar District Fisheries Officer, said, "Crab is much safer than shrimp farming. Shrimp can easily be infected with a number of diseases."

"Crabs are hardly infected by viruses. Because of this, crab farming is gaining popularity day by day in our country," he added saying "There is no risk factor in crab farming. So, success is high."
Homemade plastic baskets are now used for quality crab farming. Farmers can now buy such baskets for only Tk 50/60, said Bazlur Rahman.
According to the Cox's Bazar District Crab Traders Association, a total of 780 crab farmers have registered themselves with the association. Apart from them, more than 500 other people are farming crabs.
Crabs have high demand in China, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Dilip Sheel, a crab farmer of Kalamarchhara union of Maheshkhali upazila, said that his journey as a crab trader began in 1990. Later, he became successful in crab farming.
Ruhul Amin, another crab farmer of the area, said, "The risk of catching disease is very low in crab farming while its market value is good."
Abu Taleb, President of Cox's Bazar District Crab Traders Association, said crab farmers and traders are doing well although there is no government support for them.
"It is necessary to increase favourable environment for crab cultivation", he said.
Dr Shafiqur Rahman, Chief Scientific Officer of Fisheries Research Institute in Cox's Bazar, said, "The institute first started research on crab fry production and farming in 2003. Crab hatchery production was successful in 2013. Since then, crab farming has spread out across the coastal areas of the district."
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