Cage-farmed crabs prove a money-spinner in Patuakhali

For the past eight years Moazzem Hossain from Tulatali village in Patuakhali's Kalapara upazila has been busy farming crabs, with mixed success. This year, he decided to try the cage farming method, which has been growing in popularity thanks to proven good results.

“When I started crab farming I used an open pond,” explains Moazzem,“ and there were many problems. The crabs often died. Food costs were high and with the soft mud at the bottom of the pond, collecting the crabs was difficult.”

“Recently I have switched to using cages,” he continues. “I set a total of 250 cages in the pond at a cost of around Tk 10,000. It's much better than before. I already earn Tk 17,000 per month and once my farm is fully established I should earn up to Tk 20,000 per week.”

Like Moazzem, Abdul Bareq from nearby Badurtali village is making a living from cage-farmed crabs. Without a pond of his own, Abdul relies on the reliable water flow of the public Badurtali Canal as the site for his farm.

“I started with 300 sizeable cages,” he says. “I bought crabs weighing up to 180 grams each from the market at a cost of, at most, Tk 450 per kilogram. I keep up to six crabs in each cage and after rearing them for between ten and eighteen days, I sell the crabs for as much as Tk 1,300 per kilogram.” Abdul sold crabs three times over the past four months and earned around Tk 1 lakh.

Given the potential to make solid profits from cage-farmed crabs, the activity is becoming popular locally, according to the Kalapara fisheries office. Moreover, cage-farmed crabs can be combined with other aquaculture projects.

“I farm cage-reared crabs along with various species of fish in my pond,” says Monobrato Sarkar from Mohipur village. “I make a decent living from it.”

Kalapara fisheries officer Md Kamrul Islam says cage-reared crabs have significant potential in coastal areas where there are ample rivers, ponds and canals to support such enterprise. “Crabs are in great demand at home and abroad,” he says. “We are providing technical support to local farmers interested in cage-farmed crabs.”