And the pandemic-induced demand slump has further increased the woes of growers. Prices of prawn have fallen drastically this year from that of a year ago, said Chinmoy Das, a shrimp trader in Kachua upazila under Bagerhat, one of the main shrimp producing districts in the southwest.
Farmers could large prawns at Tk 1,300 per kilogramme (roughly eight prawns) last year. Now they have to sell prawns of the same grade at Tk 600 per kg.
Prices of smaller sized prawns also dropped, creating worries among many farmers of losses. Both farmers and small traders like us are on the verge of losses, Chinmoy said.