Bagerhat crab farmers left in the lurch as China bans imports amid coronavirus scare

A ban on crab exports to China amid a deadly coronavirus has left farmers reeling in Bagerhat.

The suspension came into effect on Jan 23 -- the peak season for crab sales abroad -- and is set to take a heavy toll on the industry if it continues for even a few more days, according to some farmers.

“China observed several festivals, including the Lunar New Year, in the three months from December to February. Bangladesh provided a huge amount of crabs to China during this period,” Senior Assistant Director of District Fisheries Amal Kanti Roy told bdnews24.com.

“Our exports make up more than 70 percent of the crabs in the Chinese market. China stopped importing crabs this year in a bid to stem the outbreak of a new coronavirus. But farmers here will incur heavy financial losses if the ban is not revoked.”

More than 30 percent of the total crab exports are cultivated in Bagerhat, Amal said.

“I have invested at least Tk 4 million on my farms. I have borrowed the money from banks and NGOs. The sale usually begins in December and continues until February. It is the peak season for sales abroad. But this year, the ban was imposed just at the start of this window," Sheikh Selim Sheikh, a crab farmer in Majhi Dangha village said.

Full-grown crabs are difficult to preserve in farms for a long period, according to Selim.

But the financial losses are aggravated by regular deaths of crabs which have contaminated the farm's waters, he added.