The season of hilsa, the country’s silver resource, is going on. However, at such a time, the hilsa traders of the coast are in extreme financial crisis. Bangladesh Bank has ordered that no more than two lakh rupees can be withdrawn in a day in the current situation in the country. In fact, due to financial crisis, the bank is not able to pay even one lakh taka per day to a businessman.

Hilsa traders say that they have suffered a lot. The price of hilsa delivered from Mokam to different parts of the country is paid to the bank account number. However, they are not able to withdraw money as per the demand from the respective branch of the bank. Due to lack of money, moneylenders are not able to buy materials and send trawlers to the deep sea to extract hilsa.

The hilsa traders of Patharghata Fish Landing Center (BFDC) in Barguna, the country’s second largest fishery, gave this information. The concerned officials also said that the complaints of traders are true. As they face financial crunch, the arrears in revenue collection at the landing center are also increasing. Traders in other parts of the south are also said to be in the same predicament.
Since Patharghata is near the sea, most of the trawlers go to the sea to collect fish from this point. The trawlers return to this point and sell the fish. Hundreds of trawlers unable to go to sea due to financial crisis were seen tied up at Patharghata. Fishermen and laborers spend idle time.

One of them, Habibur Rahman, a fisherman said in the afternoon that three days ago, he sold fish worth 2.2 million taka to a fish shop in Patharghata. Buyers have paid money into the bank account number of the banker. To go back to the sea, only for buying food market, 4 lakhs is required. Along with this there are other expenses including fuel. They are also unable to go to the sea as the moneylenders cannot pay. Habibur said regretfully, now there is a lot of hilsa in the sea. As other fishermen like him cannot go, fishermen from India and Myanmar are extracting.

Abbas Uddin, General Secretary of Patharghata Fish Wholesalers Association, said that since August 5, fish worth at least 3 crore rupees is being sold at this place every day. Wholesalers deliver fish in trucks to different districts and upazilas of the country. Customers are also sending money to the account no.
Abbas Uddin said, crores of rupees are being deposited in their account numbers. However, the owner of the trawler is not able to pay the money as he is unable to lift as required. A trawler needs to spend at least 7 lakh rupees to send it to sea.

Artdar Sagir Hossain said that fish worth Tk 6 crore 84 lakh has been sold at Patharghata BFDC in the last five days. The bank authorities have paid only 30 lakh taka in favor of about 300 account numbers of traders in five banks of the upazila. Fishermen also have to take money from traders on interest to pay for their family needs.
Patharghata BFDC manager Lt. Commander Masud Shikder said that since the businessmen did not get the money as per the demand from the bank, in the last 5 days, the revenue of Tk. 25 lakh was due to the Artdars. In this case, BFDC owes a total of 70 lakh taka to the swindlers. If the arrears increase in this way, it will be difficult to recover later.

Acting Manager of Patharghata Sonali Bank Suman Raha said that they are conducting transactions as per the instructions of the Central Bank. There is a provision to pay a maximum of Tk 2 lakh in one account number. However, this rule cannot be maintained as the branches do not have enough money. The statements of other branch managers of the upazila are the same.
Patharghata Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mohammad Roknuzzaman Khan said that the problem of fish traders will be reported to the higher authorities.