Ishtiak Fardin

The Bengali saying “fish and rice” is true in its true sense, Bengalis have a long relationship with fish and rice. Bengalis have been eating fish since ancient times. The reason for the close relationship between rice and fish is that rice is the staple food of Bengalis and fish is a favorite item in the daily menu. Another main reason is that Bangladesh is a riverine country, both rice and fish are readily available. And the availability of food ingredients forms the basis of the food culture of a region. In regions where food ingredients are readily available, the main food traditions of that region are developed around those ingredients. As a result, rice and fish gradually became the staple food of Bengalis. That is why the Bengali word fish rice is closely related to the entire Bengali nation.

There is a saying ‘Mache Bate Bengali’. A Bengali lunch is almost incomplete without fish broth. Various other fish including hilsa, prawns, pabda, pomfret, chital, betki and other delicious fishes go back and forth on Bengali pages, but rice fish is the must on daily rice pages. Whether it’s a light broth of cumin butter or Kaliya Bengali’s daily lunch menu, Rohu (Rui) Fish is the only companion. Rohu (Rui) fish has several qualities.

Roe fish helps to increase performance. The omega three fatty acids in roe fish are very beneficial. To keep the heart and bones healthy, a pair of cotton fish is recommended. The omega three fatty acids in roe fish also take care of our skin. Omega three fatty acids protect the skin from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. The protein in roe fish has an effect on the collagen of the skin, thereby increasing the brightness of the skin. Eating rui fish often increases the levels of UPA and DH in the body. As a result, the problem of blood flow in the human body is eliminated. Eicosanoid hormone levels begin to decrease. As a result, the risk of blood clotting is reduced. For more than a year and a half, children’s education has been limited to online classes and most of the adults’ work has been limited to ‘work from home’ beyond mobile phones or laptops. As a result, looking at the mobile or laptop screen continuously is the biggest damage to the eyes. As the eyesight is decreasing, the power is increasing due to the flickering. Cotton fish can solve this problem. The omega three fatty acids in roe fish help to improve the brightness of the eyes. So, you can rely on cotton wool to avoid vision problems.

Bangladeshis rely on Burmese fish imports. Bangladeshis would be unable to purchase fish for their daily meals without the affordable Burmese imports because the cost of local fish is soaring.

Salmon, carp, and shrimp are among the most popular fish imported to Bangladesh from Burma. Before being transported to Chittagong, Dhaka, and other cities across the nation, these fish are first delivered to Teknaf. Additionally, seafood imports from the Teknaf land port bring in substantial sums of money for Bangladesh.

Chittagong’s retail vendors charge between 160 and 200 takas per kilogram for their goods. Burmese carp and salmon are the most popular products. local fish prices spike when Burmese fish is hard to find in the city’s marketplaces.

Burma also sells fish to Thailand, and the residents of Mae Sot’s border region also depend on Burmese fish. The government of Burma may make a lot of money by exporting fish to other nations if it develops the fish market in a methodical manner.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, Myanmar transported 5,195.2 tonnes of rohu to Bangladesh via the two cross-border crossings of Sittway and Maungtaw in the first half (April-September) of the current fiscal year 2022-2023.

In the six-month 2021–2022 mini-budget period, Myanmar exported 5,180.6 tonnes of rohu for a value of $6.314 million. The numbers indicated a marginal gain of $0.18 million this fiscal year. According to the Maungtaw border post, however, the border trade has been suspended since September due to worries over transportation security.

After being processed in Yangon, Rohu are transported by cold-storage trucks or ships to the Sittway border checkpoint. Motorboats are then used to transport them to Bangladesh. Since 2016, Myanmar has started exporting rohu to Bangladesh via the border crossings at Sittway and Maungtaw.

The economy of Myanmar is based on agriculture and animals. Townships in the Yangon, Bago, and Ayeyawady areas contain commercial fish farming operations. Farmers have broadened the rohu farming industry as the crop has gained market share in international marketplaces.

In Rakhine State with Myanmar’s Sittwe and Bangladesh’s Maungtaw border checkpoints, about 1,000 tonnes of rohu are transported from Yangon City. Rohu is also transported to the border by road and by sea from the other two cities. In the cross-border commerce with Bangladesh, Myanmar’s exports have consistently outpaced imports, with exports totaling $19.066 million and imports totaling $0.14 million between 1 April and 2 December in the 2022–2023 FY.

65 percent of Myanmar’s exports were fish, and 35 percent of its two border crossings with Bangladesh were for dried goods. Farm-raised rohu, hilsa, mackerel, dried anchovies, and dry fish powder are among the fishery products. Also exported are tamarind, onion, ginger, dried jujube powder, jaggery, longyi (sarong), and clothing.

Values of fisheries products exported to Bangladesh through two border crossings ranged from $6.318 million ($7,093.413 tonnes) in the 2019–2020 fiscal year to $4.76 million ($5,010.7 tonnes) in the 2020–21 fiscal year to $13.987 million ($11,362.97 tonnes) in the 2021–2022 six-month mini-budget period (October-March).

According to a fish merchant from Chittagong, local fish prices spike when Burmese fish is hard to find in the city’s marketplaces.

Burma also sells fish to Thailand, and the residents of Mae Sot’s border region also depend on Burmese fish. The government of Burma may make a lot of money by exporting fish to other nations if it develops the fish market in a methodical manner.

Since 2016, Myanmar has been exporting Rohu fish to Bangladesh via the border trade posts at Sittway and Maungtaw. Approximately 8,000 tons of Rohu fish valued over 10.021 million USD were sold to Bangladesh between 1 April and 10 September 2022. Rohu, together with other things like dried fish, prawns, and occasionally hilsa fish, makes up 70% of the country’s total exports, while electrical goods, soft beverages, children’s toys, and medications make up its imports. Fish are currently being shipped to Sittway and Maungtaw border trade stations for export to Bangladesh from Yangon and the Ayeyarwaddy region. It’s been learned that Sittway does not yet have enough fish farming to support an export industry.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, MYANMAR transported 5,160 tonnes of rohu worth US$6.449 million to Bangladesh through two cross-border posts in the first five months (April-August) of the current fiscal year 2022-2023.

According to the Maungtaw border post, however, the border trade has been suspended since September due to worries over transportation security.

After being processed in Yangon, Rohu are transported by cold-storage trucks or ships to the Sittway border checkpoint. Motorboats are then used to transport them to Bangladesh. Since 2016, Myanmar has started exporting rohu to Bangladesh via the border crossings at Sittway and Maungtaw.

The economy of Myanmar is based on agriculture and animals. Townships in the Yangon, Bago, and Ayeyawady areas contain commercial fish farming operations. At the farming ponds, two-year-old rohu gain two to five kg in weight. Sending rohu under two kg to domestic markets. Exports of the larger ones are made to other markets. Farmers have increased rohu farming more than ever since the crop has gained market share in international marketplaces.

In Rakhine State with Bangladesh’s Sittway and Maungtaw border checkpoints, about 1,000 tonnes of rohu are transported from Yangon City. Rohu is also transported to the border by road and by sea from the other two cities.

Rohu and other dried goods like onion, tamarind, ginger, and dried plum are imported into Myanmar while wide-striped longyis for men (also known as “Palaykat Pasoe” or “cotton sarongs for men”), plastic gallon containers, footwear, and building supplies are exported through Rakhine State to Bangladesh. In cross-border trade between Myanmar and Bangladesh, exports outnumber imports.

According to statistics provided by the Ministry of Commerce of Myanamr, border trade between Myanmar and Bangladesh totaled $16.229 million in the first half of the current fiscal year, made up of $16 million in exports and $0.03 million in imports.

Ishtiak Fardin is a journalist, columnist and author.