Jasim Uddin Haroon

The country's shrimp and prawn cultivation has adversely been affected, as thousands of farms in the major growing areas have been inundated following cyclone 'Aila' that battered the south-western coast Monday.

The cyclonic storm has caused an irreparable loss to the country's second largest export-earning sector, which has been struggling in recent months mainly because of global recession, farmers and exporters told the FE.

They claimed that except some marine and freshwater prawn farms in the northern part of the coast, most farms in Khulna, Bagerhat and Sathkhira have been inundated.

Golam Reza, a lawmaker of Shyamnagar in Satkhira, who was visiting the affected areas along with district administration, told the FE over phone: "Around 10,000 shrimp ghers (farms) in Shyamnagar have been inundated."

He said: "I am visiting the areas from morning, and there is no shrimp farm that remained unaffected. It is like a sea here."

Shaharuzzaman Mortaza, president of Khulna Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) told the FE Tuesday that most of the shrimp farms in the area were inundated, causing huge financial loss to the farmers.

Mortaza, who is also the owner of a shrimp farm, said all of his farms remained under water. He claimed that he had cultivated shrimps on 600 bighas of land this season.

Bazlur Rahman, a director of Bagerhat Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, "Most of the farm areas are still under water, so there is no hope for any shrimp there."

Azhar Hossain, former president of Satkhira Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: "Most of the farms, located in coastal areas, are fully damaged, while those located in Sadar areas are 70 per cent affected."

Experts, however, said the cyclonic storm that killed at least 116 people, took place at a time when most of the marine shrimps were ready for harvest, and the loss cannot be offset, as the current period is a lean for 'black tiger' fries.

Mahmudul Karim, a shrimp expert and managing director of Shrimp Foundation, also said: "This is very unfortunate for the farmers as well as for the country, as marine shrimps in most of the farms were ready for harvest."

He said the farmers had stocked the marine shrimps or 'black tiger' during January-February period, adding: "I am doubtful whether the farmers will get their fries or not. I think they will be hardly benefited even after they get fries."

Mahmudul also said the loss will be higher than that of the 'Sidr' in November 2007, adding: "Sidr attacked during early period of the cultivation, but now most of the farmers were ready to harvest."

Farmers cultivate marine shrimps at around 1,70,000 hectares of land and freshwater prawns at 50,000 hectares in the costal districts, and it is the main earning source of the people of those districts.

Bangladesh fetched US$ 534.07 million in the 2007-08 fiscal by exporting shrimps and freshwater prawns, mainly to the EU countries and the US.