Due to the increase in the price of fuel oil, the owners have stopped going to the sea in Barguna Patharghata more than hundred trawlers. Thousands of fishermen in the southern region have become unemployed.
An emergency meeting was held last Saturday with the leaders of all fishing organizations including District Trawler Workers Union, Trawler Owners Association. The meeting demanded to reduce the price of oil.
Last Friday, the price of 1 barrel of diesel was Tk 17,000, at that time it cost Tk 3 to 3.5 lakh to send a big trawler to the sea. Now that trawler will cost 5 to 6 lakhs. Said the owner of the trawler Badsha Mia. He expressed his anger and said that the price of oil increases in the market but the price of fish does not increase.
Trawler owner and general secretary of BFDC Artdar Samiti Enamul Hossain said that many trawlers have stopped going to the sea due to the hilsa crisis in the sea and the increase in oil prices. Five trawlers returned to BFDC Fish Ghat on Saturday evening. But there have been fights between hundreds of fishermen over whether the trawlers will go back to sea. 19 people were injured. 8 of them have been admitted to hospital.
Injured fisherman FB Maa Fatema Trawler Altaf Majhi said that the trawler owners will impose the additional price of oil on them. So the fishermen want to leave the trawler and go home. Because of this, his head was not right as a sailor. Due to this, fights happen. Among the injured are Babul, Mosaref, Shaheen, Zafar Majhi, Yasin, Sultan Ahmed, Altaf, Farooq and others.
Safayet Munshi, president of the wholesale association, said that the cost of transportation has increased. So the cost of buying fish has to be coordinated with the cost of transportation. Due to this, 1 kg of hilsa has to be bought at the rate of 60 thousand 200 taka, reduced by 800 per mana.
Abul Faraji, Vice President of the District Trawler Owners Association, said that two of his 6 trawlers have been sent to the sea. He raised four pastures. 78 jailers have become unemployed. He claimed that hundreds of fishermen of this coast are becoming unemployed.
Nurul Amin Munshi, former president of Artaddar Samiti of BFDC wholesale fish market and president of Municipal Awami League, said that 95 percent of the people of the southern coast are fishermen. 3.8 million fishermen caught fish in the sea. It is provided (paid) by the Artaddars. Many trawlers have stopped going to sea. He said that as a result, billions of rupees of bribes will be lost.
