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PABNA, Nov 26: Dried fish trading is gaining popularity in the district, specially in the Chalan Beel area.
Talking to this correspondent a good number of fishermen in Suzanagar upazila said they catch varieties of fish from the Chalan Beel and other open water bodies and sell those to the local traders.
The traders dry the fish in the sun and sell those in the markets.
A large amount of dried fish is produced in the area every season. The item is exported to other countries after meeting local demand.
According to District Fisheries Office, around 64,000 tonnes of native fish is produced every year from various beel and rivers of Pabna.
But, the demand for fresh fish is 32,000 tonnes. The surplus fish is processed and dried.
District Fisheries Officer Abdur Rauf said dried fish is being exported to US, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Dubai.
Some fishermen said they catch fish in the Chalan Beel from November to January.
Trader Sharif Kazi said about eight tonnes of dried fish is supplied in different markets across the country every week from Suzanagar upazila.
About 18 to 20 tonnes of dried fish is produced each week in the Chalan Beel area, he added.