Coronavirus outbreak: Khulna’s crab, eel trade losing Tk 4cr every day

Thousands of farmers and traders in Khulna region are incurring losses worth Tk four crore every day as crab and eel exports to China have been suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak. The country, where the outbreak has so far claimed 722 lives, is the main international market for crab and eel. Traders claim that China has stopped taking the items from Bangladesh. Crabs are exported to China, Taiwan, Belgium, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany and Australia. Of the total crab exported from Bangladesh, around 85 percent goes to China. Traders at eel and crab markets in Rupsha and Paikgaccha of Khulna were mostly sitting idle as there was no trade going on with wholesalers and exporters. “High price in foreign markets has resulted in a growing popularity in crab farming in the last four to five years,” said Debabrata Das Debu, president of Paikgaccha Crab Businessmen Cooperative Society Ltd. “Around 25 tonnes of crab are sent from Khulna region to Dhaka every day. Of ...