Ponds once filled with water hyacinth and weeds have become a major source of income for residents of several villages in Chandkhali union of Paikgachha upazila, Khulna. More than 100 families are becoming self-reliant through commercial shol, or snakehead, fish farming. The industry has created jobs, increased women’s earnings and attracted wholesalers from several districts.
Farmers in Purba Gajalia, Uttar Garer Abad, Dakshin Garer Abad, Kalua and Baduria villages become busy at the ponds at set times each morning and afternoon. They cut tilapia, silver carp and other fish to prepare feed. Hundreds of snakehead fish rise together when the feed is scattered into the water. Residents said most of the ponds were still covered with water hyacinth five or six years ago, but nearly all are now used for commercial snakehead farming.
“The ponds were of no use before,” elderly resident Ramesh Chandra Sarkar said. “Now they have become the village’s main source of income.” Many young people who were unable to find jobs have taken up fish farming. Local entrepreneur Prasenjit Roy said: “I could not find a job, so I leased a small pond and began raising snakehead fish. I was afraid at first, but the farm now covers all my family’s expenses.”
Many women in the villages also work in the industry, preparing fish feed and helping with care and other tasks. Homemaker Pompa Rani said: “I prepare fish feed every day. This income pays for my son’s education. Being able to increase our family income is the greatest joy.” Farmers said snakehead fish could be raised profitably in a relatively small area and within a short period.
Successful farmer Subhash Chandra Mondal said he stocked 2,600 snakehead fingerlings in a pond measuring only six decimals of land. Within seven to eight months, the fish weighed between 700 grams and 1 kilogram. He said his profit after all expenses was nearly double his investment. The industry has created new economic activity, including work for feed preparers, transport workers, fingerling suppliers and wholesalers, forming a robust local market.
Local wholesale fish trader Anil Kumar Das said buyers came every day from districts including Khulna, Jashore, Satkhira and Bagerhat. Senior Upazila Fisheries Officer Saikat Mallik said: “Snakehead farming in Chandkhali is becoming one of the country’s most successful and sustainable models. If cultivation expands in a planned way, Paikgachha could become one of Bangladesh’s leading snakehead-producing areas.”
Mallik said continued technical assistance and training would further increase production and broaden the industry’s positive impact on the local economy. Residents said putting unused ponds to work had increased farmers’ incomes and injected new momentum into the rural economy. The once-neglected water bodies have become symbols of employment, higher income and self-reliance, and residents believe Chandkhali’s experience could serve as a model for other parts of the country.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report